The Way Things Happen
by Vialana
Summary: Rei/Kai :: It started with a match that changed everything. Two of the Bladebreakers start to ponder how their lives can change with one single act and a whole lot of contemplation.
1. Prologue

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Disclaimer: I do not in any way own the anime series Beyblade, nor to I claim to. This is you basic non-profitable fanfiction to show my love for it's characters. Namely Kai and Rei.

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Here I am with yet another Beyblade fic and my first not even finished yet. However, I needed a bit of romance to break up the dramatic fics I'm writing so here it is: a nice Rei/Kai romance with only a very basic plot — actually, I haven't quite come up with a plot yet. I just hope my imagination doesn't run away with me too much with this. If you have any requests for this, i.e. fluff scenes, citrusy stuff, feel free to ask and I'll write as my mood takes me.

Anyways, here it is, my new Beyblade fic.

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The Way Things Happen

Prologue

Silver streams of moonlight shone down through the light cloud layer to the solitary figure standing on a balcony overlooking the large urban landscape below.

The raven-haired beauty sighed as he watched the ebb and flow of humanity that continued perpetually, even at this late hour. Golden eyes sadly surveyed the huge high-rise buildings and the many indications of human habitation and destruction before him. Slightly pointed ears picked up the faint sounds of traffic on nearby main roads and a small trace of dance music from a popular club drifting upon the gentle night breeze.

He also heard the soft click of the hotel door opening and closing, as well as the louder sound of the lock. Then there was a sliding sound of wood against wood as the balcony door was also opened and closed behind a tall imposing figure.

"You'll catch cold out here."

Rei smiled over at the owner of the stern cold voice. "I don't catch cold easily in the summer."

"Jeopardise your health in your own time. We need you for tomorrow's match. So get out of the cold and get in bed so you can sleep."

"Shouldn't you be doing the same? You are human aren't you? You need sleep too, yet you don't seem to follow the same rules that you set out for us. I'm not the only one who shouldn't be staying out so early in the morning Kai."

"I have other responsibilities to take care of besides this team. I can't rest until I've taken care of everything."

"How much more do you have to do."

"I've only got one priority right now: You."

Rei smiled at the way Kai said that so protectively. He really did care, he just showed it in abnormal ways. "I would assume then that you'll be joining me in bed then?" Rei smiled again as a slight flush came to Kai's cheeks with his words. "You did say you had finished with everything else didn't you? That leaves you with plenty of time to deal with me."

Kai cleared his throat. "I did say I had finished with everything else."

"Then get your ass inside, Kai." Rei opened the door to the room and let Kai go in first. The blue-haired blader shot his teammate a quick glare before entering the dark room. Rei closed and locked the door after entering the room himself.

He moved over to the bed and stripped off hi outer shirt, took off his arm bands and shoes and slipped quickly underneath the thick covers Kai had already removed his scarf and armbands and now sat on the edge of the bed unlacing his shoes.

"Kai?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of tomorrow's match?'

"We can win." He took off one shoe then started unlacing the other. "I assume that's why you were too worried to sleep?"

"Yeah." Rei stared nervously up at the ceiling. "Do you think they've improved?"

"Undoubtedly. They're a good team. You don't make it as far as they have without some talent." Kai removed his other shoe then his belt and slipped into bed beside Rei. "Don't worry about tomorrow. We've trained as hard as we could, we can't do any more than what we already have."

Rei looked ver at Kai and smiled. "Coming from you that's saying a lot."

Kai shrugged and put his hands under his head. "We've trained and brushed up on our skills, not to mention worked on some new skills and tricks. We've worked on our weaknesses and have tried to turn them in our favour. Kenny's been working his ass off trying upgrade our blades and launcher so that we have the best advantage. All in all, I'd say we're fairly well prepared. There's not much else we can actually do. We just have to have faith in our own abilities."

"You're right." After that encouraging speech, Rei was silent for a long time, but he wasn't sleeping, he was thinking. And soon the oppressive silence managed to bug the other, usually unruffled, occupant of the bed.

"There's more to it than just nerves concerning the next battle isn't there?" It wasn't really a question, but Kai posed it as one to make Rei ease up a bit.

Kai was as perceptive in his assumption as ever. Rei debated lying to his captain, but decided against it, it would be pointless. "Yeah," he sighed.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Silence.

"Rei, look, if there's a problem that could affect the team, I, not to mention the others, would need to know about it."

"This has nothing to do with the team." Rei sat up angrily and glared down at Kai.

"Wrong!" Kai sat up and faced Rei with an icy glare of his own. "Personal problems affect the whole team. If one member isn't on their game, then we lose, so if you have a problem, it's _our_ problem unless you manage to fix it first." Kai let this sink in before continuing. "As your captain you should at least have the courtesy of informing me in general terms what is wrong, so I can help if you need me to." Kai's glare softened. "I am trying to help Rei."

"I know, I just don't know if I can talk about it yet."

"Do you want to blade tomorrow?"

"Of course!"

"If you don't manage to keep your mind on the match, then I will pull you out of there with no hesitation, got it?"

"I've got it."

"Good. Now go to sleep." Kai lay back down and turned his back towards Rei.

"Yes captain, my captain." Rei saluted to Kai's turned back and lay down himself.

"Don't be a smart-ass Kon."

Rei laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Good."

There was a suitable pause of sleepy silence before the slowly drifting captain of the Bladebreakers felt something, or should we say someone, snuggling up against his back.

Kai sighed and rolled over then enveloped the half-asleep and shivering Rei in a warm tight embrace.

"Told you you'd catch cold," he muttered fondly before allowing himself to drift off to sleep.


	2. Strange Turn of Events

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Uh, there will be Mariah bashing in this *hides from Mariah fans* I'm really sorry, but she was just so conveniently there and annoying as usual, I needed a bit of drama and tension (not to mention a little Rei angst and torture) So, sorry if you like her, but in this fic she's evil, so you've been warned. Also, Kai might seem s little OOC, but I'm working on that. Also, this story will definitely continue to be R (considering some of the content in this chappie). Anyways, here the fic.

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Strange turn of events

"Rei! What the hell were you doing out there?"

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit distracted."

"A bit?! Rei, I warned you before, do not jeopardise our team with your problems." Kai sent Rei and angry glare. "Look, find a way to take your mind off things during the break."

"Give him a break Kai, he's trying his best." Kai sent his glare Tyson's way. The long-haired boy glared right back. "I've already won the first match, it doesn't matter if we lose this one, we can come back. You're blading the third. None of the White Tigers can beat you, so cut Rei some slack."

"No, Tyson. Kai's right. I'm not trying my best." Rei sighed then looked up at Kai. "I'm sorry Kai, I'll try better."

Kai sighed and looked away. "Rei, you've got to tell someone your problems or at least keep them out of the arena."

"I know, but I'm still not ready to talk yet Kai."

Kai thought this over. "Fine. Just know this. You either keep your mind on the match, or you'll face me later for a little training session. Or you can talk. It's your choice."

"I'll blade."

"Remember the consequences. If I see that you truly are concentrating but you lose anyway, I'll go easy on you."

Rei rolled his eyes. "That's _so_ comforting to hear." He looked over at the opposite side of the arena to his opponent and grimaced. Mariah was waving and winking at him. "Why'd I get her?" he muttered as he walked out to the dish to face his old friend.

"Ready to lose Rei?" Mariah smirked from the other side of the blue battle dish, readying Galix for launch.

"You wish." Rei snarled, trying to get her out of his mind. He set Drigger in his launcher and waited for the countdown.

"Okay Beyfans, get ready for the second round of this second match between Rei of the Bladebreakers and Mariah of the White Tigers." Rei winced as Jazzman called this over the sound system in his usual irritating manner. "Okay, bladers ready." Rei focused on his blade and launcher, a small frown coming to his face. "Three. Two. One. Let it rip!"

They launched. Rei circled quickly around the dish as Mariah raced in for an attack, barely avoiding her blade.

"Galix! Cat scratch attack!"

"Damn." Rei avoided her blade again then called forth Drigger. "Tiger Claw!" Instead of maneuvering quickly, Rei went for a frontal assault, taking the pink-haired girl by surprise and knocking her blade out of the dish.

Rei smiled and called Drigger back then walked back to his team with the sound of applause cheering him on.

Kai looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "It seems I've been proven wrong."

"I guess. Thanks for the pep talk earlier."

"Pep talk?" Max muttered. "Sounded like threatening to me."

Kai glared at Max then looked back at Rei. "You all right?"

"Yeah."

"Just try and concentrate okay. You've still got the last battle to go and I know that Mariah won't go easy on you."

"Yeah." Rei looked over at his opponent and his eyes widened slightly. So slightly in fact that only Kai noticed anything. He looked over at Mariah, but didn't see anything that could make Rei nervous.

"Rei?"

"I'm fine Kai. Stop being so worried." Rei moved out of the team area and over to the dish, ready for the next battle and avoiding Kai's gaze.

"Wow, Kai really is worried," Max whispered to Tyson.

"I know. I wonder what's up."

"Guys, be quiet!" Kenny was frantically typing on his laptop with Dizzy making a few comments as he went. "I need to get stats on this match. I need to find out how much Mariah has improved since the last time we battle and we need to know any possible weaknesses in Rei's blade."

"It's not the blade that's the problem," Kai muttered sourly, his gaze fixed on the raven-haired figure in front of him as he stepped up to the dish. _Come one Rei, get it together, you can do this. You're stronger than this._

Rei sighed and set his blade in his launcher, trying to ignore the way Mariah was licking her lips in his direction, but failing miserably.

"So Rei, you ready for what's coming to you?"

"Are you ready yourself Mariah?" Rei glanced up with a smirk, which faded as he saw the look in her eyes. His hand trembled slightly, making his aim slightly off as he launched his blade.

"Damn," he muttered and tried to compensate for his mistake. "Drigger maneuver." His blade started circling around the rim while Mariah was waiting for him in the centre.

Rei then went for an assault, but Mariah swerved her blade and smirked. "Patience is a virtue, Rei. You just have to wait for the right time to attack." She paused and grinned. "Like now. Galix, Cat Scratch Attack!"

Rei tried to move Drigger, but the tiger had been off balance from the start and wobbled slightly, allowing Galix to reach Drigger and knock him out of the dish.

"Wow! What an upset! Mariah and Galix have knocked Drigger out of the dish. The second round goes to the White Tiger Team!" There was a huge roar at Jazzman's words and Mariah waved to the crowd after blowing a kiss to the dejected Rei.

"I'll see you later Rei." She winked at him and walked back to her ecstatic team.

Rei walked back towards his own team, his shoulders slightly slumped, but otherwise not showing his disappointment. He walked past his three cheerful teammates, who kept saying, 'It's okay, it's not your fault' and stood before his stone-faced captain.

"I tried."

"I know." Kai gave him a softer look. "Good work."

Rei smiled slightly, returning the soft look and feeling better than he had seconds before. "Sorry I lost."

"I work better under pressure anyway." Kai turned away and walked out of the pit (1) and over to the dish where Lee stood waiting with a ready blade and a feral smile.

The first match was over with in a second. Galeon went flying out of the dish with the impact of Dranzer's furious launch. There was a huge round of cheers as Kai walked back to his team. He looked over at Rei and smirked.

"See?"

Rei laughed. "Yeah, I do." Then he yawned.

Kai frowned. "I told you that you should have went to bed earlier." Rei looked at him apologetically and sneezed. "Now you've caught cold. Go take a shower and wait in the change room until the match is over."

"But Kai—" Kai gave him a glare and Rei pouted. "Can't I even wait until after your match. This is a very important battle you know."

"It's an exhibition match." But Kai saw that Rei would not be put off. "Fine. After this then you go to the change room." He looked over at the rest of the team. "That goes for the rest of you too. Don't think I didn't know about that loud pillow fight you all engaged in last night." The three younger boys looked a bit guilty.

"Uh, that was just …" Max trailed off as Kai set his famous glare on him. "Never mind."

"Showers, food, then back to the hotel for rest." Kai turned away as he was called to the dish. "We'll talk after." He made his way back out to the dish.

The match took only slightly longer than the first, ending in basically the same dramatic fashion. Kai smirked as Dranzer came out and knocked Galeon flying back into Lee's waiting hand. The leader of the White Tigers smiled and walked over to Kai.

"Great Match Hiwatari." He shook Kai's hand before the crimson eyed leader was engulfed in a mass of ecstatic Bladebreakers.

"Yay! Kai won!" Max was clutched to the older blader's back and was grinning from ear to ear.

"Way to go Kai!" Tyson tackled him from the side and grinned. "Mr. Sourpuss here really came through for us."

"Well he is the best blader on our team after all." Kenny approached them at a slower more reasonable pace. He looked at the extremely irritated Kai with a smile. "Your stats are even better than before Kai."

"That's great. Now, get off!" Kai shoved Tyson away and pulled Max off his back then he turned around as he heard a delightfully familiar sound. Rei was approaching them laughing.

He noticed Kai's look and held his hands up innocently. "I just wanted to say hello." Kai arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. Rei smiled brightly at Kai's silent acceptance and turned to Lee and the other White Tigers, who had arrived while Kai was busy being glomped by Tyson and Max. He shook Lee's hand and drew the older boy into a hug.

"It's great to see you Lee."

"You too. Sorry we couldn't meet up before the match, but things came up." He sent a small glare in Mariah's direction. She shrugged it off and smiled at Rei an a way that made him shiver in discomfort.

"Hi there Rei. Sorry you lost, but it's no big deal, seeing as your team won and all."

"Yeah, I guess so." Mariah's unblinking gaze was fixed hungrily on him, making hi even more uncomfortable.

"Hey Rei, maybe later we can catch up with you, if you're available." Kevin and the others seemed oblivious to Rei's turmoil. Rei gratefully used the distraction to tear his eyes away from Mariah's.

"Sure, how about—"

"Tomorrow," Kai cut in, ignoring Rei's glare of protest. "You can see them tomorrow Rei seeing as there is no training. YOU can spend the whole day if you like."

Rei's face lit up with glee. "Are you serious?" he looked over at the White Tigers. "Is that okay with you?"

"Sure!" Kevin grinned.

"Rei?"

"Yeah Kai?" Rei turned back to his captain.

"What are you supposed to be doing now?"

Rei's face fell again. "But Kai, want to stay an talk."

"You can talk later. Showers. Now."

"But—"

"Rei, you've been running a temperature since last night and you've already got a slight cold, not to mention you're tired. I don't want you to get sick, and you don't want to either considering your plans for tomorrow. Have a warm shower and get changed. I'll meet you after to make sure you're all right."

Rei pouted. "Yes _mother_," he said sulkily.

"And what did I tell you about being a smart-ass?"

Rei rolled his eyes in a childish manner and waved to his old team before heading to the showers, unaware that a lustful golden gaze was watching his every move.

"Wow Kai, aren't you the mother hen." Lee grinned and Kai glared at him.

"I'm their captain, if I don't take care of them no one will. Tyson!"

"What?! I didn't do anything!"

"Head back to the hotel and book a table for dinner at the restaurant. Max, go with him."

"Sure thing." The two cheerful boy headed out, waving to everyone. Suddenly though, Tyson stopped and scratched his head. "Hey, wait a minute! Kenny said that Kai was the best blader on our team! I won the world championships two months ago!"

Max grabbed the boy and dragged him outside before he could attack Kenny. "Let it go Tyson."

Kai watched the two of them leave with some apprehension. "Kenny, you'd better go with them. Make sure that Tyson doesn't get himself into trouble and that Max doesn't eat anything with sugar before dinner."

"Right Kai, but there's one problem."

"That is …?"

"We're out of our team allowance."

"Book the table under my name, I'll take care of it."

"Right. How many people?"

Kai looked over at the White Tigers. "Would you like to join us?"

"Sure, especially if you're paying!" Kevin was grinning. Lee hit him on the back of his head.

"Baka," he muttered and smiled at Kai. "Sure thing. We'd be glad to."

"Yeah." The silent Gary agreed with a nod and grinned.

Kai suddenly frowned as he noticed something. "Where's Mariah?"

***

Rei was already sniffing loudly as he entered the change room. _Why did Kai have to be right? _Rei smiled as he recalled Kai's concern.

The stoic blader had warmed up to his teammates after the World Tournament and started acting more human towards them. It was only a matter of time. Not even Kai could withstand the four of them trying hard to befriend him, especially as they were all so cheerful and friendly. _I guess that he finally realised that we'd be there for him through anything, even what happened with the Demolition Boys. Of course now he's being a bit overbearing at times, but it's still nice to know he cares._

Rei took off his shoes and two tops and shivered slightly in the cool air. He moved over to the showers and turned one on, letting steam fill the white room. He moved his hands to unbind his hair, but whirled around as he heard a noise directly behind him.

There was no one there.

"Kai? Is that you?"

No answer.

"Guess I'm being paranoid," he muttered and turned to the shower again.

"No you're not," a smirking voice called out from the side. Rei's eyes widened as he recognised the voice and he turned around with wide eyes.

"M-Mariah! What are you doing in here?"

She smirked and laughed in what was supposed to be a seductive manner. "You know why I'm here." She stepped towards Rei, who stepped back until he was up against a wall. Mariah ran a finger down his bare muscled chest and grinned.

"N-no, actually, I d-don't know." Rei stuttered trying to move away from that finger and the disturbing chills it sent through him. "Mariah, I think you should leave."

"Without getting what I want? She pouted and pushed herself up against him. "But that's not fair." She trailed her finger lower until it reached the waistband of Rei's pants.

"Woah!" Rei gently pushed her away. "Okay, now I really think you should get out of here."

Mariah pouted again. "But Rei, don't you want to have any fun?"

Rei was annoyed now with her. "No, I don't. I want to have a shower and get changed. Now if you don't mind, this is a male change room, so you should leave."

Mariah growled as he firmly grasped his arm and ripped her hand away. The she quickly whirled around and grabbed his arm, her sharp nails digging in far enough to draw blood. Rei gasped at the pain, but she ignored him.

"I'm getting what I want Rei."

"Mariah, please, let go of my arm."

"Fine." She grabbed his shoulder with her other arm. Unfortunately, this was directly on top of one of Rei's old wounds from the battle with Bryan. There hadn't been enough time for them to heal properly, so the wounds were still quite sensitive and painful when pressure was applied. He yelled out in pain as her nails dug in, rivulets of blood trickling down his arm. Whiteness filled his eyes as he registered feeling only pain.

"Oh, is my poor Rei hurting?" Mariah asked in a fake voice. She grinned, knowing exactly where she had dug her nails in. "I guess that he can't stop me from doing this then." Mariah trailed her other hand down Rei's side and slid it underneath his waistband.

"Mariah, please, don't …"Rei gasped as she increased the pressure on his shoulder. His legs trembled beneath him, he couldn't stand the pain. He felt her other hand slide lower. Tears formed in his eyes and he looked at her pleadingly. "Don't Mariah."

But Mariah wouldn't give up now that she was almost at her goal. She smiled viciously at Rei's whimpering form. "You'll be begging for me soon," she promised.

Suddenly they heard voices echoing down the corridor.

"Damn!" Mariah released Rei and let him fall back against the wall. She ran out of the change room and over into the girls one.

"Mariah? Are you in here?" It was Lee. Mariah exited the change room and smiled. He was with Kai.

Lee smiled. "We're heading back to the hotel before going to dinner with the Bladebreakers."

"Great!" Mariah smiled brightly, not a hint of her previous actions and thoughts showing in hr demeanour "Let's get going then. See you Kai. Can you tell Rei I sent my regards?"

"Sure. See you." Kai watched them leave before entering the male change room.

"Rei?" he called out and frowned as he didn't hear Rei answer.

"Rei?" he called again louder this time.

Kai heard a small whimpering noise.

"Rei?" Kai strode over to where he thought the sound was coming from. Then he spotted the raven haired figure sitting on the floor, blood starting to pool around him.

"Gods! Rei!" Kai rushed over and sat down beside him. "What happened?" Kai tenderly touched the boy's arm and pulled back as Rei recoiled.

"Nothing … I uh … I accidentally reopened one of my wounds. It's no big deal really." Rei tried to pull away and stand up without assistance, but failed. Kai caught him and leaned the boy on himself.

"You're a terrible liar Rei. What really happened?" 

Rei refused to say anything. He turned his head away.

Kai studied the wounds, his eyes narrowing. There appeared to be deep crescent shaped grooves in the skin around Rei's arm and shoulder. _They look like nail indentations. But who would do something like this to Rei?_ Kai studied them for a bit longer and his eyes widened as he came to a conclusion.

"Mariah?" he asked incredulously.

Rei shrank away from him, but Kai held on tighter. "What happened Rei?"

"She wouldn't let me go. I couldn't push her away, she's a girl and she's like my sister. I couldn't hurt her, but she wouldn't take no. She grabbed my shoulder and I couldn't move, the pain was …" Rei shuddered and leaned into Kai.

"Do you think I'm weak?" he whispered faintly, his voice echoing unshed tears.

"No." Kai answered without hesitation.

"Liar." Rei pulled away. "I am weak, I couldn't even stop Mariah from …" he trailed off and looked away, ashamed.

"Rei …" Kai gathered the boy into his embrace again. "You didn't want to hurt her, but she used your injuries against you."

"I know, and that's what makes it worse. Gods Kai, she's like a sister to me. I knew that she liked me, but lately, she'd been getting more amorous in her attention towards me. Sometimes she felt like a stalker. I should have seen this coming and stopped everything before. But I didn't." He started sobbing. "Gods I hate myself Kai."

Kai looked pained at Rei's words. He could do nothing for the boy but hold him and let him cry his tears out. So he did. He sat on the floor of the stadium change rooms and gently soothed his distraught teammate in his arms with gentle words and a caring presence.

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AN: (1) I don't know what those things they sit in beside the dish are called, but they remind me of those baseball pits, or digs, or whatever, so yea, that's what I mean.


	3. Couldn't We Just Have Dinner And A Movie...

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Hey y'all, me again with the next chappie. Hmm, I noticed that many of you share my sentiments about Mariah. Luckily, she's not in this chappie **as**_ much. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next installment._

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Couldn't We Just Have Dinner And A Movie?

"He's been here for an hour almost, why hasn't he come down?"

"Tyson, be patient, maybe he has something to take care of." Max tried to placate the furiously pacing boy to no avail.

"Don't try and make excuses for him Max, Kai's always been anti-social and rude and a major bastard, but this takes things too far. I mean, the White Tigers are almost here."

"Would you like me to go check on him?" Kenny offered. "I have to put my laptop away anyway."

"Would you Chief?" Max smiled gratefully. "Thanks. We'll be here in case the White Tigers come."

"Sure thing. I'll be back in a jiffy." Kenny walked through the large lobby of the hotel and over to the elevator and proceeded up to the floor they were staying on. He made his way over to their small suite and entered the room he shared with Tyson and Max. He placed Dizzy on the table to recharge then walked over to the other side of their suite to Kai and Rei's room and knocked on the door.

"Kai?" Kenny called out cautiously.

The door opened after a short pause. Kai stood there looking at him curiously.

"What?" he asked coldly.

"We were wondering when you were coming down to dinner. The White Tigers will be here soon and Tyson's getting impatient."

Kai sighed and put his hand to his forehead. "Damn, I forgot. I'm not sure when I'll be down, Kenny. Rei's sick and I wanted to be here for him." Kenny's eyes widened behind his thick long fringe at this admission, but Kai didn't seem to notice his slip.

"Uh, sure that's fine, it's just we booked everything under your name and …" Kenny trailed off as Kai took out his wallet and gave him some money.

"If you need more just come back. I'm not going anywhere."

"Sure. Thanks Kai. Tell Rei that I hope he feels better soon."

Kai nodded and closed the door. Kenny stood staring at the dark wood for a long moment, trying to get his head around what he had just witnessed and hard.

"Well that certainly was unexpected."

***

"Kai?"

The slate haired blader turned to the origin of that troubled voice.

"Rei? Are you all right now?" In the locker rooms, Rei had passed out from shock and horror. The mental trauma of such an experience would have been so enormous for the poor boy, especially considering the girl who caused it was like a sister to him.

Kai watched in concern as tears trickled down Rei's cheeks and onto the pillow he was lying on. "Why Kai? Why did she … why?" Rei looked up at him imploringly with his agonised golden eyes.

Kai sighed and sat down beside Rei on the bed. "I don't know why. Obsession can lead people to do strange things."

"Obsession?"

"Yes." Kai looked at the pitiful figure lying beside him. "Rei, you couldn't have known that —"

"Known what?" Rei sat up and turned to him angrily. "That she liked me more than a friend or brother? But I did know Kai, and I didn't do anything about it. I didn't reciprocate in any way, but I didn't push her away either. God it's my fault." Rei's eyed opened wide in self-loathing. "God, it's my fault she tried to rape me."

Rei blanched suddenly and turned white. He grabbed a hand to his mouth and rushed out of the bed and into the bathroom. Kai quickly followed him and heard retching noises echoing through the room along with strangled sounding sobs. Kai entered the bathroom to see Rei wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He was kneeling in front of the toilet, tears flooding down his cheeks.

"You're lucky you're not Tyson, because I would have hit you by now." Rei looked up startled at Kai's cold and unsympathetic tone of voice. Those crimson eyes were hard and unforgiving. "I thought you were stronger than this, Rei, I guess I was wrong."

Rei looked confused. "Kai ... what ...?"

Kai walked over and grabbed Rei by the back of his shirt and pulled him so that his face was before Kai's. "This is fucking pitiful Kon. Are you seriously going to let a weak whining female like Mariah dictate how you live? Prideless, fucking disgusting. And to think I once considered you an equal."

Rei glared at Kai and knocked his arms away. "Get the hell away from me."

Kai smirked. "Or what? You'll cry on me? Blame yourself for your problems? Blame me? Weakling." Kai snorted. 

Rei glared at him again. "What the fuck would you know Kai? I told you to get lost." 

Kai backed towards the door, his unwavering gaze still fixed on Rei. "Strength is something we determine for ourselves Rei. You decide if you are strong or weak. I say you chose weakness. Prove me wrong Rei." He turned and walked out of the room. _Prove me wrong._

***

"I guess Mr. Sourpuss won't be joining us then." Tyson smirked slightly as they were shown to their table. "Man, how rude can you get?"

"Tyson," Max said warningly. "Not now. We have company." He glanced over at the White Tigers and smiled. "Excuse him, you know how Tyson can get sometimes."

Lee laughed. "Yeah we know. It's fine Max. But I am curious about Kai, where is he? And where's Rei?"

Kenny, who had just finished the transaction payments with the manager came over, hearing he question. "Rei's sick. Kai wanted to watch over him in case he needed anything."

Tyson's jaw dropped and Max's eyes opened wide.

"K-Kai d-did what?" Tyson stuttered once he picked himself up.

"He's worried about _Rei_?" Max looked amazed. "Well, I'll be. Wondered will never cease."

The four White Tigers looked astounded. This was not normal Kai behaviour, at least to them. "I never knew that Kai was capable of caring," Lee murmured. "I guess I underestimated him."

"No, actually Kai's always looking after everyone. He just never admits to anything or accepts any thanks or praise for it." Kenny led them to their table.

"What do you mean Chief?" Max looked a bit confused.

"Well, think about it, who's always there when we're sick with medicine or bandages or anything to make us feel better? Or what about when there's something bothering us, Kai's always there to take our minds off it until we're ready to deal with it."

Tyson nodded. "That's true. When I found out my cat died Kai made me train until I was too exhausted to think about it. I loved that cat and I wouldn't have been able to do anything at all if he hadn't made me so angry." Tyson smiled. "He is one seriously weird dude."

"Yeah." Max nodded. "Now that I think about it, whenever Kai's telling us off, or saying something snide, he's usually doing what he can so that we either become better bladers or are able to feel better about something."

"So you're saying that the whole 'ice-cold perfect blader' image is just an act to cover up that he's really a nice guy?" Kevin looked a bit sceptical as he sat down.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. Kai can actually be a bastard at times, but he always does what he can to help us." Tyson shrugged and picked up a menu. "Kai's weird like that. He blows hot and cold." Everyone else nodded and sat down, following Tyson's lead and picking up a menu to order.

"Uh ... lets see." Tyson frowned as he tried to think. "I'll have the ... hey, it's Kai." Everyone looked up from their menus to see the tall blader of their previous conversation approaching their table. "Hey Kai, where's Rei?"

"Wallowing in self-pity," Kai muttered and sat down beside Lee and Kenny. "Tyson, don't eat too much, I don't want to have to hold your hair for you again as you regurgitate everything. If you're still hungry after this, wait for an hour then eat."

Tyson glared at him. "I'm not that bad."

"Oh? How about last week after that huge buffet."

"That was the oysters. They were off."

"Then what about Tuesday?"

"I had the flu."

"So did Kenny, he didn't puke. What about the following Saturday?"

"Well, that was ... uh ... I ..."

Kai smirked. "I rest my case. And try to go easy on my wallet with your choices." Kai shook his head and looked over at Kenny and frowned. "How much seep did you get last night?"

"Uh, not much. I was trying to stop those two." He pointed at Max and Tyson, who protested against the accusation. "Then I had to straighten things up this morning."

"You didn't get to finish Draciel's analysis?"

"No. I can finish tonight if you want."

"No, tomorrow's fine. Just make sure Max is ready for the next battle. That means I want a proper analysis. No coffee and late nights, I don't want you making mistakes that could cost us a match. Move onto Dragoon after that. Tyson can be our fourth next battle. That should give you enough time."

"More than enough." Kenny returned to his menu and decided on something.

The White Tigers were looking at Kai strangely. He raised an eyebrow at their stares then ignored them, monitoring the choices his team made. Tyson glanced over at Kai then ordered something moderately sized — considering Tyson's usual standards. When it came to Max, Kai interrupted again.

"Only one desert Max. I do not want to be chasing you around while you're on a sugar-high. Not to mention we're running out of aspirin for your headaches."

Max's face fell. "Sure." He still managed to order the most sugary desert on the menu. Kai shook his head at this and looked away. Not ordering anything for himself yet. The White Tigers all ordered theirs then Kai ordered a large soup and a steak.

Tyson raised an eyebrow. "And you were saying something about me?"

"The soup's not for me."

"Who is it for?" Tyson looked confused.

"Just wait." Tyson shrugged Kai's comment away and started a conversation with Kevin and Gary while they waited for their orders. Max and Kenny talked together about what Kenny had done to Draciel already. Kai watched Lee and Mariah talking together.

The dark-haired neko-jin did not seem to have any idea about Mariah's previous actions that afternoon. Kai's eyes narrowed as he watched the pink-haired girl smile and laugh at Lee's quips. Her eyes only flickered towards him once during their talk.

Her face turned smug and her eyes glinted.

She knew that Rei had told Kai everything, and she was still obviously bent on having Rei, despite Kai's possible — more like inevitable — intervention.

Kai glared at her then looked away as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He smiled slightly and looked down at the drink menu, pretending as though he hadn't seen anything.

The stalking neko-jin approached the table silently, no one else noticing a thing.

_Three. Two. One._ Kai silently counted down before a fist hit his jaw.

"Rei! What the hell are you doing?!" Tyson leapt up to turn Rei around and glare at him furiously.

"You should be asking Kai that." Rei spat.

"Now Rei." To everyone's amazement, Kai turned his head to reveal that he had nothing worse than a small split on his lip. He gently licked the trickle of blood away and smiled at his attacker, getting up from his seat. "Is that any way to treat your captain?"

"What about me? Was that any way to treat me before?!" Rei tried to go for Kai again, but Tyson grabbed him and stopped him from touching Kai.

"You sound upset. Did you like what I had to say?"

"Bastard." Rei managed to wriggle out of Tyson's grasp and throw another punch at Kai's face, but this one was caught quite easily by the older boy's open palm. Rei drew in closer to throw another punch which was just as ineffectual as the first.

"Fucking bastard," Rei hissed, his face so close to Kai's he could feel the other boy's calm breaths.

"At least you're not brooding and thinking up ways to hurt yourself," Kai shot back with a venomous glare.

Rei's eyes widened slightly. "What … how did …?" He glared at Kai again. "You set this up didn't you? Jeez, I can't believe you." Rei growled in frustration.

Kai shut him up with a glare. "One warning though. You try and blame yourself again, you will have to face me. Now tell me, what are you more afraid of, trying to deal with your problems and more on, or me." Kai's smirk told Rei that he already knew his decision.

Rei growled again and pulled away. "Why the hell do you have to be so right all the time?"

"Because I'm your captain and I have to be." Kai sat down and gestured to the seat next to him and Kenny. Rei didn't move, folding his arms across his chest. Kai just glared and barked, "Sit," and Rei did. He pushed the soup over to Rei.

"You know I hate you," Rei told Kai.

"I know you do. Now eat." Rei gave him another half-hearted glare then started eating.

Everyone was looking at the two of them rather strangely, but Lee was the first to speak.

"My friend," Lee patted Kai's shoulder, "I think I finally understand why you won the World Championships, and not us."

Everyone laughed at this and even Kai cracked a smile. No one's eyes were focused on a pair of long, pink-lashed golden eyes fixed hungrily on their prey.

__

AN: There we go. It's shorter that the first chapter, sorry about that. Still, with a last line like that, can you possibly imagine what's going to happen next time? Until then. Laters.


	4. The Night to End All Nights

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Hey there.

Um I should put some warnings in for this chapter: mostly there's LIME, non-consentual lime at that. And all you Mariah haters … well, you'll see. Just remember, this is an essential chapter to the story, no matter how much you hate the content.

Enough then, or I'll give away the story. Hope you like it.

****

The Night to End All Nights

Rei was smiling brightly at everyone who was talking in the small suite. He was feeling a lot better than he had, mostly thanks to Kai, but also due to the facet that he was so happy.

It was as though this afternoon's strange and frightening events had never occurred.

Rei turned his smiling face to Kai.

The other blader felt a stare set on him and looked over at Rei, noticing the warm smile sent in his direction. He turned the corner of his lips up in return and turned back to the earnest conversation he was having with Lee about techniques and captaining.

Rei felt all warm inside at this simple, yet so meaningful gesture.

_Kai is so beautiful when he smiles_, Rei thought as he continued to study his captain. He blushed at this train of thought, but quickly shrugged it off as admiration and gratefulness for the boy, although he knew that Kai certainly was attractive.

That was one of the reason's Rei didn't reciprocate Mariah's actions: he didn't swing that way. He found out when he realised he was crushing on Lee when he was younger. Which was why it was so painful for him to leave the White Tigers before, and why it was so hard to realise that Lee was jealous of him.

But he moved on, and now he realised what he felt for Lee now was nothing more than strong friendship for someone he grew up closely with.

Rei yawned behind his hand then looked around to see if anyone would miss him if he took off to bed. Everyone else was occupied in some way. Rei walked over to Kai and Lee. They stopped talking and turned to him in question.

"I'm going to have a shower then get to bed." Lee nodded and shook his hand. "I'll see you tomorrow Lee."

"Definitely, Rei." Lee smiled and watched Kai and Rei talk.

"Make sure you change into something warm. I don't want you to get even worse."

Rei grinned. "You worry too much Kai." He laughed as those crimson eyes widened in horror at the description and so did Lee. Kai spluttered then glared at Rei, who was still grinning. "I'll see you later tonight Kai. Don't make too much noise coming in."

Kai glared at Rei as he walked into their shared room and shut the door behind him. Then he turned to Lee, who still had a huge grin on his face. "Don't say a word," he warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Lee assured him with another chuckle. Kai glared again then sighed.

"Damn, he's the only one who I can't stay mad at."

"Rei has that affect on everyone," Lee agreed. "He's such an innocent and so enthusiastic, and he's a great friend. I missed him a lot when he left."

"I can imagine you would have." Kai tried to imagine what life would be like without the smiling neko-jin around, but couldn't. It was too bleak. "I can't even begin to imagine what life was like before I met him, before all of this." He gestured around the room to the Bladebreakers, who were laughing with Kevin and Gary at something on the television. "I hate to admit it, but these guys changed me for the better."

"Are you drunk?" Lee was wondering why Kai was suddenly so talkative.

"No, just pensive." He looked at Lee seriously. "So what was Rei like before I met him?"

"Basically the same. Maybe a bit sadder though. I don't think he was totally happy in the village with us. I know that he loved us all, but he needed something more. And he found it, and in doing so, managed to show us what we were missing out on too. He's just like a cat in that regard, always curious about something, ready to jump at any opportunity, and eager to get into any kind of mischief without warning."

"And he's the calm, reasonable one in the group," Kai muttered, Lee laughed at his comment and clapped his hand down on the phoenix's shoulder.

"I would pity you my friend, but I think you have it quite well off."

"I know I do. And I wouldn't trade it for anything." Kai smiled around the room, then noticed something, much as he had earlier that day. "Hey aren't you missing a member?"

Lee frowned and looked around. "Yeah. Where's Mariah?"

***

Rei shrugged off the last of his clothes and winced slightly as his shoulder flared suddenly in pain. He looked down and noticed that he had accidentally reopened one of the wounds he received that day. Kai had done his best to clean them up, and had bandaged them, but there was a small patch of red on the white bandages.

Rei peeled them off and looked at the skin. It was only a small trickle of blood trailing down his arm, but he still shivered at the memory it brought up last time he was about to take a shower in a bathroom.

He quickly unwrapped the rest of his bandages from his arms and unwrapped his hair as well. He turned on the shower and stepped under the steaming spray, relishing in the feel of the water trickling down his back and massaging his body. He ran his fingers through his quickly dampening hair and uncurled any tangles he came across. Flicking it all back, he then proceeded to scrub his body lethargically, his fingers trailing gently over his skin, raising goosebumps and sending shivers down his spine.

This was always a fantasy of his. His lover would be standing behind him, gently trailing his fingers down his body, making him shiver and writhe as those expert touches made their way over the bumps and curves of his muscles, over his chest and down his taut stomach to ...

"Gods," he whispered hoarsely as he felt sudden desire spark in his loins and sent fire coursing through his body.

He hesitantly reached a hand down and trailed his fingers along the taut firm skin of his half-erect member, his eyes closing in ecstasy as that gentle touch sent more shivers of desire coursing through him. He groaned in satisfaction and began to imagine his fantasy as he teased himself with those same gentle touches before he grew impatient and wrapped his whole hand around his erection.

"Would you like hand with that?" a whispered female voice asked seductively and a long-nailed hand wrapped around his own.

Rei's eyes widened and he spun around to see Mariah standing naked behind him. He pushed her hand away and leaned back against the wall.

"What the fuck are you doing in here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She leaned in and licked at his ear.

Disgusted, Rei pushed her away only to hear her growl ferally. He glared back at her. "Get out of here Mariah."

"Or you'll what? You'll hit me? Would you really strike me Rei? That wouldn't go well in your favour when I call out rape."

Rei's eyes widened and Mariah smirked. "You wouldn't ... Kai, he'd ..."

"Kai doesn't matter, would Lee believe you, that's the question. If you so much as lay a finger on me in anger, I'll scream it out and you won't be able to do a thing."

Rei looked at her helplessly. "Why? Why are you doing this Mariah?"

She pushed up against him and grinded her hips against his. Rei shuddered and turned his head away. "Because I want you Rei," she whispered harshly in his ear. "And nothing you say or do will stop me from getting what I want."

Rei shut his eyes as she proceed to then move against him, her hand seeking out his penis, the other occupied with placing his hands on her breasts and rubbing them.

A single tear trickled from the corner of Rei's eye, washed away by the warm water still cascading down upon them.

***

Kai frowned, worried about Rei.

_Where the hell is she? She wouldn't try anything here, not with me and everyone else still here._ Kai looked around. He'd already checked in the other bedroom and bathroom and Lee was checking downstairs in the lobby, in case she had gone for snacks or something.

_Not fucking likely._

There were only two places left that Kai hadn't looked and he wasn't quiet ready to rush in there while everyone was still here. The other five were still watching the movie and starting to doze off a bit. Kai didn't want to worry them, but he had to check on Rei.

_They look kind of sleepy. I'll risk it._

Kai was about to open his door when the front door opened and Lee came back in.

"Well?" Kai asked impatiently, a wild look in his eyes.

"The doorman didn't see her, neither did the concierge." Lee looked a bit worried himself. "Where could she have gotten to?" He looked over worriedly at Kai and his eyes narrowed as something flickered in the crimson depths.

_Why is _Kai_ so worried? Especially about Mariah? I know he doesn't like her, he never has. So why? Unless there's something else to this. What is your deal Hiwatari?_

***

Rei couldn't help letting out a whimper as Mariah too his hand and pushed it against her wet vaginal entrance.

She nipped at his era playfully and forced his fingers upwards, letting out a huge gasp of pleasure as she did so and tightening her grip on his penis.

"Mariah, please, don't do this." Rei's voice came out as a hoarse whisper. His tears went unnoticed as they trailed away with the water from the showerhead.

Mariah growled and pushed herself up against him harder, causing Rei to gasp in pain as he hit his shoulder against the wall.

"Don't tell me what to do, I make the rules here, not you." To emphasise her point, she intertwined her fingers with Rei's and pushed them up higher inside her. She smirked and sucked at his neck.

_Gods, no, please no._ Rei closed his eyes again and pleaded within the confines of his mind for anything to stop her. _Please, Kai, help me. Someone, anyone, anything. Help._

Mariah gasped slightly and started moving her hands faster. Rei tried to pull back at the unwanted friction of her hand around his penis and the disgusting wet warmness he felt from inside her. Mariah simply drew him closer again and grinded against him in a steady rhythmic pattern.

Mariah seemed to shudder slightly and Rei felt the walls of her entrance clench and a rush of fluid washed over his fingers. Mariah gasped and leaned heavily against him, panting slightly. Her hand uncurled from his penis and she let go of his fingers. Rei pulled back away from her, then her nails dug into his leg.

"Don't move, I'm not finished with you." Mariah smirked at him and knelt down, placing her hands on his hips so he wouldn't move.

"Gods, Mariah, please don't." Rei didn't try and hide his tears now. They ran down his face pitifully.

"You won't be saying that soon." She smiled up at him again and leaned in.

Then they both heard the door to the other room opening.

_It's Kai!_ Rei smiled in relief and was about to call out when Mariah sprung up and covered his mouth.

"You will not say a word of this to anyone." She walked over to the sink where Kai' razor sat and picked it up. She ran it down her arm, wincing slightly. "You do," she gasped through the pain, "and I show them this. What sort of conclusions do you think they'll reach?"

Rei stared at her in horror. "You're mental."

Mariah snarled. "Watch yourself Rei."

"Kai already knows about this."

"I told you before, Kai isn't the one you have to convince. Your word against mine Rei. Those marks on your shoulder won't help either." He looked down and his eyes widened. Nail marks, signs of possible retaliation. He closed his eyes in despair and slid down the wall.

Mariah smirked and quickly bound her arm in one of his wristbands. Then she dried herself and quickly dried her hair with a towel. Then she dressed and pulled on her coat, tied her hair back into a bun and put the hood of her coat over her head to hide the fact it was wet.

"I'll see you later Rei." She opened the door, releasing a wave of steam and stepped into the bedroom.

The minute she walked through the door, she came face-to-face with a furious Kai. She smirked at him and pushed past him, only to feel his hand on her arm.

"Careful, I'm injured. Rei's quite a feisty one." Kai growled and she laughed. "Don't worry, I left enough for you." She broke out of his tight grasp and opened the bedroom door with Kai close behind.

"Mariah." Lee came over. "Where have you been, we were looking for you."

"I was talking with Rei. I got bored earlier, so I decided to wander around. I'm sorry for going into your room Kai, but I'm a curious one, and I usually do what I want." Mariah smiled inwardly as Kai's blazing eyes narrowed. "Then Rei came in and we decided to keep each other entertained. I guess I lost track of time."

Lee smiled, believing every word she said. "Well, we were going to go now. Gary and Kevin look kind of tired and we've got a long day tomorrow sightseeing."

Mariah smiled. "I know. I'm sure Rei's looking forward to it also." She sent a smirk in Kai's direction. "I just hope that he's still feeling up to it."

Kai grunted and turned away.

Lee looked between the two of them, feeling like he was missing out on something as he watched their hostile and knowing faces. Mariah smirk seemed somehow wrong and out of place also. _Damn it, but I'm going to find out what's wrong no matter what._ He cleared his throat and drew their attention back to him. "We should get going then."

"Right." Mariah walked over to the two on the couch, trying not to wake Tyson and Max, who were snuggled up together cutely on the floor, or Kenny, who had fallen asleep on the armchair with Dizzy clutched tightly to his chest. The three of them walked back to Lee and Kai who were standing in the hallway.

"We'll see you tomorrow then Kai." Lee held out his hand.

"Sure. Hope you had a nice time tonight." Kai shook the other captain's hand.

Mariah smirked at Kai. "I sure did." She walked down the hallway waving behind her. Gary and Kevin followed, mumbling tired good-byes and pleasantries. Kai watched Mariah leave with fire in his eyes. Lee noticed this and reaffirmed again to find out what the hell was going on.

"See you." He called out and caught up with his team, still feeling that cold malevolent gaze fixed on the girl beside him.

***

Kai closed the door when he could no longer see the White Tigers down the hallway.

He decided to leave the others in this room for now, they looked too comfortable to move, and he was feeling a bit too tired himself to be bothered with them. He reentered his room and suddenly his eyes widened as he remembered Rei.

"Gods," he whispered and closed the door quickly and ran into the bathroom as he heard the sounds of shattering glass. Kai threw open the door to see Rei standing before the vanity with a thin shard of broken mirror, from Rei's own travelling mirror, held over his wrist. Blood already covered the porcelain sink from his other wrist which sported a thin wound or crimson already.

"No, Rei!" Kai rushed over to him and grabbed his wrist, unconcerned by the blood dripping onto him or the way Rei flinched and tried to pull away. "Please don't so this, it's not worth it."

"Let me go Kai!" Rei tried to futilely pull out of his grasp, tears streaming down his face. "I just want to forget it, please let me forget it all." He sobbed and his struggles became weaker. He leaned into Kai and put his head on Kai's chest, leaning his whole weight onto the older boy. "Please Kai, make me forget." Rei sobbed and his knees buckled.

Kai caught him around the waist and sank to the floor with the boy. He held the frantically sobbing Rei against his chest. He held the distraught boy tightly to him, much as he did before, blood pooling beneath them as before. Rei's hair hid most of the boy from Kai's scrutiny, but a few scratches and bruises from hitting the wall could be seen.

Kai nuzzled his face into Rei's hair, tears stinging in his own eyes.

"Gods Rei, don't ever do that again," he reprimanded in a choked voice. "I don't want to lose you. Please don't leave me." Kai pulled Rei into his lap and sat there on the floor with him, both thinking about what had and could have happened.

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AN: Wow, that was my first limish piece of writing I've ever written. Guess you know now why this is R-rated. I did warn you though, so don't flame or anything. Also, sorry for possible spelling and grammar errors, I'm kind of tired.


	5. Bedtime Stories

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Hey guys, me here with yet another update. Um, really sorry if Kai seems out of character to you guys, but maybe things in here will help you understand him more.

Anyways, hope you enjoy this latest chapter. Laters.

****

Bedtime Stories

Kai closed the other bedroom softly, having just carried the other three members of the team to bed. Then he walked back to his room where Rei lay on the bed, bandaged up and staring out the window with a hollow gaze.

Kai sighed at the emptiness and pain he felt radiating from the tortured boy. He sat down beside him and looked away, pained, when Rei flinched slightly.

"Do you want me to tell you a story Rei?" Kai asked softly.

Rei's dull gaze flickered towards him, then back to the window. Kai took this as assent to continue.

"There was a little boy, about four years old, sent away from his family to a place where he could become better. He was so excited at first, he didn't mind too much that he would be leaving his family, because he knew he'd see them again someday. This boy was always curious, like you, about many things and didn't like living in the past, trapped by regret. He was always taking risks and following his heart.

"Being so young though, he didn't understand why his parents cried so much when they took him away. He gave them both one last hug and a smile then left on a new adventure.

"However, upon reaching this place, he realised what a horrible situation he was now in. He struggled to get away at first, but he was always caught and bought back. There were no other children around that he saw, just old, mean men dressed in black and grey with white coats. It was so cold and terrible there, there was no light and no hope.

"Then one night, they came for him and took him to a small dark room and chained his hands and feet to the walls, so he couldn't move when they came towards him and removed his clothes."

Kai paused here and looked away, taking a deep breath to continue.

"The pain and humiliation was intense for the little boy and he cried for an eternity it seemed afterwards. He didn't understand why they hurt him like that, or why he felt so shamed by it all. But he kept living, he continued on, because he was strong and he never let anything keep him down for long. Not even when they did this over and over again to him.

"About three years after he arrived there, a few more boys were taken in, a dozen or so. The little boy was so excited, he'd never seen any one else his age for so long. There was another boy who was in his room and went everywhere with him, to all of his training and classes. The two of them became really close, as close as brothers.

"Then one night, the other boy was taken away by guards. The scene was so familiar to the first boy, but he never thought it would happen to anyone else. He fought and screamed and tried to help his friend get away, but one of the guards came up behind him and knocked him out. When he came to, his friend was sitting hunched up on his bed sobbing and rocking back and forth. He was too late to do anything for his friend.

"That's when things started to change. The other boy became cold and distant, he would never talk to anyone, not even his best friend. He would train harder than anyone else and work harder to become the best. He grew to resent his friend because he was already the best at everything and barely had to try. But the thing is, his friend didn't want to be the best, he didn't want to conform to the wishes of the people at this place. He just wanted a normal happy life with friends and family.

"One night they came back for the boy's friend. Again he tried to fight them and was knocked out.

"This time when he came to there were different sounds, not sobbing. Before his eyes opened completely he heard the sounds of a chair scraping along the floor and being knocked over then choking sounds. He opened his eyes to the most horrific sight he had ever seen.

"On the bed lay a bloody shard of glass from the thin broken window high above them, the bed-sheets were covered in blood and torn to pieces. At the foot of the bed was an overturned chair with patches of blood still dripping down on it from the limp slit wrists of the young boy hanging from the beams of the ceiling by torn pieces of the bloody bed-sheets."

Kai looked away again, not realising that Rei's golden eyes were fixed on him, completely captured by the horrific story. A single tear made its way down Kai's cheek.

"He tried to get the boy down. He jumped up onto the bed and tried to hold him up, but it wasn't working. So he grabbed the glass and tried to cut through the sheets, unheeding of the fact that he was cutting himself deeply in the process, his own blood mingling with his friend's to trickle down his arm and onto the bed. He only got a little way through before guards came bursting through the doors and grabbed him and pulled him away and out into the corridor. He sobbed and cried out his friend's name, but the guards took no notice. They shoved him in another room and locked the door. He kept crying out, but no one heard.

"For days they kept him locked there, with nothing. He never found out about his friend and after a while he started to forget and could only concentrate on surviving. Although, when delirium overtook him, all he could see were horrific images of blood and bed-sheets.

"When they finally let him out, he was too weak to protest when they took him to that same torture room he'd been in many times before. However, it was only that time that he actually took notice of what they had been doing to him all those years and he grew cold.

"The next few months passed in darkness for the boy. His mind never left his friend and he started to concentrate more on the lessons and training they were teaching him. Not for him to use with them, but against them. He became obsessed with strength and vengeance until the day finally came when he used their own weapon against them and escaped without a trace. After that, he became cold again and completely obsessed with power and winning at all costs. He lost his humanity and his friend over something that could have been dealt with if they had both tried."

Kai looked over at Rei and saw grief and horror in they tiger's eyes. "I don't want to lose you to that also Rei. I've lost too much already. I will try as hard as I can to keep you here, but I can't do it alone, you have to want to be here with me." Kai got up and walked into the bathroom to wash his face and the tears he had shed throughout the telling.

Rei sat up, thinking about the story. It had become increasingly obvious to him that Kai had been talking about himself as a child and Rei shuddered as he thought about what had been done to him and all those children. When Kai reentered and sat beside him, Rei took his hands and felt the jagged scars on his palm gently. He looked up into Kai's desperate crimson orbs and tears leaked down his cheeks.

"Help me Kai," Rei sobbed and pulled the older boy into a hug. "Please, I can't do this by myself either."

Kai smiled gently and soothed Rei, stroking the long raven tresses gently as he did so. "Don't worry Rei, I won't let you do this alone." Kai pulled Rei into a tighter hug and let the boy sob.

***

"So who was he?"

"The other boy?" Kai sighed and looked over at Rei who was leaning against him contentedly in their bed. "I guess none of you ever wondered why Tala always wore something that covered both his neck and his wrists."

Rei's eyes widened. "Oh. Wow. I never would have guessed."

"No, probably not. We tend to keep out past to ourselves. I never knew he was alive until I saw him at the Abbey after I'd gotten Black Dranzer back. It came as quite a shock to me. I think he remembered me too, because the glare he sent my way would have killed a weaker person." Kai laughed. "Boris thought it was because Tala thought I was replacing him. He assured him that I was only another player under his direction, but that glare didn't waver. Gods, I thought he still hated me."

"Why would he hate you?"

"For leaving, for being so cowardly as to run away yet still stay as strong as I had. He never knew that he was the reason I escaped and tried to become even stronger. Then you all came along and convinced me that I didn't have to be the best to be strong, that strength could be found in many ways. You made me remember who I was and the ideals of that child that I should never have lost." Kai smiled down at Rei. "I never really thanked you for that."

"You didn't have to, we knew it."

Kai changed the topic, feeling a bit uncomfortable talking about himself. "I'm curious about something. Why did you break your mirror? The razor was there and you went to all the trouble to unzip your bag and take it out then break it. Why?"

"Well, I didn't want to break the hotel's mirror, I didn't want you to get in trouble and have to pay for it. And the razor, well Mariah had already used it and I was always taught that you should never reuse a bloody knife for something else unless it's been thoroughly cleaned and sterilised."

Kai couldn't help it, he started laughing. Rei looked over at him in surprise as Kai fell back onto the bed holding his stomach. Rei glared at him. It's not that funny Kai." Rei's indignant response only caused the boy to laugh harder and almost fall off the bed.

"Kai!" Rei reached over to push him off.

Kai fell onto the floor with a loud expulsion of breath. He glared up at Rei from between his legs, which were still up in the air, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Oh you are so going to get it Kon!"

Rei poked his tongue out in a childish manner, causing Kai to smile just before he leapt up onto the bed and pinned Rei to the mattress. Rei squirmed, trying to get out of Kai's grip then growled as he realised he was stuck under the boy.

"That's not fair."

"I know." Kai grinned down at him and tried to move his hand, accidentally pressing down too hard on Rei's shoulder.

Rei cried out and Kai released him and sat him up.

"Gods Rei, I'm sorry, I forgot about your injuries for a second."

Rei smiled as he winced and shook the apology away. "No problem. It's as much my fault as it is yours."

Kai still looked worried. "Still, I should have been more careful and more responsible. I am your captain, I should know better."

"Why do you have to be so serious all the time Kai?"

Kai looked at Rei, who was staring at him in curiosity. Kai looked down. "I don't want anyone to get hurt on my behalf or because of some stupid mistake I made. That's why I didn't want to be on this team, I didn't want any of you to suffer if I did something wrong."

"Is that why you kept training us, making us try and become better, so that eventually we could do things on our own?" Rei smiled. "Jeez you really are like a mother hen Kai."

Kai glared at him. "Don't even joke Kon."

"That's another thing I don't get. Why do you always call me by my last name when you're annoyed. You don't do it with the others."

"You rarely piss me off. When you do, you usually hit a nerve. You're the only one who pries directly into my life Rei. I tend to get rather defensive when people do that."

"You should have to. Kai, if you opened up a little you'd realise that not everyone is out to hurt you."

"But how do you tell who is and who isn't?" Kai whispered this and looked away. "You can never really tell who's out to do you harm."

"You can tell in your heart."

"What if your heart lies?" Kai looked back at Rei. "Isn't that what got you in this mess in the first place?"

Rei froze in the act of putting a hand on Kai's shoulder then turned sharply away. Kai's eyes widened as he realised what he just said.

"Rei, I'm sorry."

"You're right though. My idealistic views don't belong in the real world."

"No Rei." Kai put his hand on Rei's shoulder and pulled the tiger back to lean on his chest. "You're idealism is what the real world needs. People like me need people like you so we can believe that there is actually hope for this forsaken world."

Rei sighed and relaxed slightly, allowing himself to rest on Kai, the older blader's arms capturing him in a loose hold. "But my idealism didn't help me tonight."

"No, but it can help you tomorrow when you want to get through your problems. Not everything in this world is as perfect and harmonious as you would like to believe Rei, but it isn't as harsh and depraved as I like to think either."

"So then what is it?"

"A shade of grey. Lots of shades of grey actually. But there are patches of pure white, like you believe."

"And there are patches of darkest black as you think too."

"As much as I do actually hate to admit it, yes. I grew up in one." Kai tightened his grip on Rei. "I guess that's why I need someone like you around to prove that there is good in the world Rei."

"Thank you Kai." Rei smiled.

"Now that I've said all of that, you will never tell any one that I did so." Rei laughed at Kai. "I'm serious Rei."

"I know. I won't ruin your reputation as a big macho, cold hearted bastard."

"Thank you." Kai sighed in relief, then he frowned. "I think."

Rei laughed again. "No, thank you Kai, for helping me."

"My pleasure." Kai gave him another quick squeeze then released him so they could finally go to bed. He looked over at the clock and frowned slightly. "It's very late."

"I know and I've got a big day tomorrow."

Kai whistled sharply in worry. "Are you sure? I could say you're sick ..."

"No Kai, I have to deal with this. Besides, Lee won't let anything happen to me. Mariah's not stupid enough to tray anything with anyone else around." _Of course, that's what I thought tonight and look how wrong I was._

Kai felt Rei's shudder as he got completely under the blankets of their bed. _Sometimes he's too caring for his own good._ "In that case you'd better get some sleep."

"Sure." Kai heard Rei yawn and smiled.

"And you'll make your cold worse by just wearing that to bed." Kai felt Rei snuggled up against his chest.

"That's what you're here for, Kai," Rei informed him sleepily just before he drifted off to sleep.

Kai shook his head gently, so his motions didn't wake the tiger. "You really amaze me Rei." Kai brushed a few loose strands of raven hair from his companion's face before placing his arms around the boy and drifting off to a contented sleep himself.


	6. Just a Little Bit of Fun

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This chapter's a bit weird in my opinion, but it's my favourite and very long. I hope you enjoy.

****

Just a Little Bit of Fun

Kenny knocked persistently on the other bedroom door, hoping to get some kind of answer. After almost five minutes, he still didn't receive one. Kenny debated whether to go in or not then just gathered his courage and opened the door.

It was still dark inside with the curtains drawn, hiding the sunbathed balcony and the bright view beyond the window. Kenny made his way cautiously over to the large bed and the two figures sleeping huddled together underneath its covers.

"Kai?" He whispered nervously as he approached. Kenny looked over at he bed and he froze, his breath caught in amazement at the sight.

Rei was sleeping huddled up close to Kai's bare chest, a smiled upon his features. Kai himself had his arms wrapped protectively around Rei, holding him close. It wasn't just the unusual positions of the two that made Kenny freeze, it was also the fact that he could see no items of clothing on either boy.

Just then Kai stirred, breaking the spell Kenny was under. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Kai?"

"Huh?" Kai mumbled unintelligently as he heard his name. "Kenny?" He stirred again and cracked open an eye. "What are you doing here?"

"Lee called. He said he wanted to talk to you about something before Rei left with them to go out today."

"Right." Kai closed his eye and snuggled back towards Rei.

"He said he'd be over in an hour."

Kai groaned. "Damn early risers," he muttered. "No consideration for the fact I didn't get any sleep last night."

Kenny blushed at the last statement. "Well, I'll, uh … I'll leave you two alone to wake up properly."

"Thanks." Kenny was amazed that even at such an early hour Kai could still manage to have that sarcastic edge to his voice.

Kai waited until he heard the door close before he opened his eyes completely. Then he remembered something Kenny had said that stuck in his mind. _You 'two'?_ His eyes opened even wider and looked down at the curled up neko-jin sleeping in his arms.

He stared at Rei for a long while, trying to get his breath back and feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. He studied every inch of the sleeping tiger's face, every curve and crevice. He gently trailed his fingers along that soft skin and felt the boy stir beneath him. Kai shook himself.

_What the hell am I doing?_ He pulled his fingers back and looked away.

"Where the hell are my clothes?" he muttered. He looked over and noticed the bathroom door slightly ajar. He'd left them in there after he'd cleaned up because they were wet and bloody from helping Rei. Kai suddenly felt guilty about drawing away from the sleeping boy. He needed every kind of support and care he could get.

"I'm such a cold bastard sometimes."

"No you're not." Kai looked down into those half open lids revealing molten golden depths. "You only pretend to be sometimes."

"Maybe I like that image."

"It doesn't suit who you are. You're really kind Kai, and sincere."

"I'm your captain, it's my job to be like that." Kai looked away and disentangled himself from the tiger, pushing away the feelings of regret that washed over him as he let go of that warm silky skin. He couldn't afford to risk showing feeling yet.

Rei hid his disappointment at Kai's distance and decided to talk about something else. "Do you know when the White Tigers will be here? I forgot to ask last night."

"An hour. Kenny came in just a little while ago and told me."

"Right." Rei sat up and stared at Kai, who sat with his back to Rei. A pained expression crossed his face and he was about to speak, but Kai cut him off.

"You should probably get ready."

"Sure." Rei got up and moved over to the wardrobe where he had placed his clothes. Then he started walking towards the bathroom.

Kai saw him hesitate from the corner of his eye. When Rei stopped and looked as though he was bout to faint, Kai got up and walked over to hold him up.

"Are you okay?"

Rei shook his head. "Kai … I …"

Kai understood. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Would … do you want me to …" he trailed off, slightly uncomfortable with his request.

Rei looked over at him. "Could you just stay there, please?" Kai nodded and walked into the bathroom behind Rei.

He heard Rei's sharp intake of breath as he locked the door behind him and turned to face the frightened boy. He approached slowly with his hands held up. "Rei, you have to be able to trust me." Rei nodded fearfully. "Good. In this situation it's best to have someone you trust near you to help you out. Do you trust me enough? Or do you want one of the others?"

"No." Rei shook his head violently. "Don't tell them yet, please Kai. I trust you, I know you'd never hurt me."

Kai's heart soared as he heard that admission. He gave Rei a gentle smile. "Thank you." He approached Rei slowly again. "Do you want me to help you?" He gestured his head to the shower and Rei blushed.

"C-can you just stay nearby?" Rei looked a bit nervous about Kai being here, perhaps ashamed that he has to ask for help.

"Rei, it's okay to need help with something like this."

Rei shook his head and blushed a darker red. "No, it's not that."

"Then what ... oh." Kai blushed himself realising exactly what was wrong. "Well you really shouldn't be that nervous considering what we sleep in." Kai looked down at the pair of boxer shorts, the only item of clothing that covered his body. "Besides, last night ..." he trailed off wincing as he thought about the state he found Rei in.

Rei nodded. "I guess. In that case, could you come in with me? I'm still a bit sore and I can't wash my hair." Rei blushed again and looked away.

"Sure." Kai wondered why his heart suddenly started beating faster as Rei removed his own boxers and unwound the bandages from his arms. He quickly turned away and removed his own and heard the shower turn on. He looked over and his breath caught as he saw Rei standing under the jet of water washing himself, his long mass of raven hair sticking to his back with the water, his lean figure looking very enticing. The image was slightly distorted by the steamed up glass door of the shower, but it was enough to cause Kai to get slightly flustered.

_Why the hell am I feeling like this? Why does Rei inspire such emotions and trust in me? And why the fuck are my hands shaking?_ Kai clenched his hands to stop the slight trembling and stepped towards the shower. _This is not the time for me to be acting weird, Rei needs my attention right now._

"Kai?" Rei called out nervously.

Kai stepped in behind Rei. "Yeah?"

Rei whirled around his eyes wide. Kai was surprised by the reaction and stepped away slightly. "Rei? Are you all right?" Rei shook his head and put a hand to his head.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to do this." Rei turned around again. Kai could see his shaking.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have startled you like that." Kai placed a tentative hand on Rei's shoulder then removed it as he flinched violently.

"Kai, I ... I can't." Rei broke down and started sobbing. Kai took him in his arms as he had before and embraced him. Rei flinched away slightly, but Kai held on tighter. "I'm sorry. She ... she did that."

Kai closed his eyes. "Shit," he muttered. "I'm an idiot." He looked down at the sobbing boy. "Rei, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have touched you like that."

Rei shook his head. "No, it's not that. I ... I wanted to forget it, but I do want to have that sort of intimacy one day with someone. I just freaked."

Kai nodded and let Rei go. "Do you still want me here?"

Rei nodded. "I trust you Kai." He smiled. "It's nice to have someone care about me and look after me like you do. You're like another older brother."

Kai wondered why he hurt all of a sudden when Rei spoke those words. But Rei had already turned away to grab the shampoo. Kai saw him wince in pain and got it himself. He poured a large amount on his hand and rubbed it into Rei's scalp, making a lather that covered quite a large portion of the raven mass. He continued with the long task, feeling strangely soothed by his actions and he could tell Rei felt the same way.

The neko-jin had started to purr contentedly.

Kai smiled. Rei only seemed to do that when he was completely relaxed and feeling happy. And he only did it when as few people were around as possible. Kai grabbed the showerhead and moved it so that he could wash away the shampoo lather from Rei's hair.

He suddenly grinned in a very un-Kai-like manner and moved the spray so that it hit Rei right in the face. He heard the surprised neko-jin splutter and he laughed. Then Rei turned around and glared.

"That wasn't fair."

"I know." Kai grinned at him again. Then he paled as Rei suddenly smirked at him. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see." Rei reached for something but Kai was faster.

"No you don't." Kai grabbed Rei's arm gently and pulled it away, drawing Rei closer to him.

Rei grinned. "Perfect. Exactly what I hoped you'd do."

Kai looked confused, that is until Rei's long fingers suddenly were felt at his side making him squirm. "Rei, don't."

"Make me stop." Rei pulled his other hand out from Kai's grasp and tickled his other side.

Kai was squirming more now and trying to stay calm. "Rei, I am your captain. Stop now or I'll make you do extra training."

"It'll be worth it. I'll have this beautiful memory with me forever." Rei had backed Kai up against a slippery wall now, completely helpless. "Now cry mercy."

"Never."

"You asked for it then." Rei moved up his sides and Kai continued to squirm incessantly. Rei grinned at the expression on his face.

Kai couldn't take it any more. He burst out laughing. "Mercy," he called out holding his sides. Rei stopped and pouted.

"Ruin my fun why don't you."

Kai smirked. "Payback time."

Rei grinned. "Not likely. I'm not ticklish."

Kai's face fell. "Are you serious?" Rei nodded and held his arms away from his body.

"You can try if you like."

Kai glared at him. "That's no fun."

"I know." Rei continued grinning. "You don't know how good it feels, knowing that I have something over you now." Rei's eyes grew distant. "I could have you at my mercy whenever I want now."

Kai glared at him again. "Of course that will mean an instant trip to extra training."

"Doesn't matter."

"It takes a lot to get you down doesn't it?" Kai's eyes widened as he realised what he just said. Rei refused to meet his gaze. "This is what happens when I stop being moody and talk," he muttered somewhat apologetically.

"'S'ok." Rei would have said more, but his gaze was captured by something else. He reached out a hand to trace a long white scar on Kai's torso from his firmly muscled chest to his side and around to his lower back.

Kai involuntarily shivered at the ghostly touch. He took Rei's hand just before it reached the end of the scar just below his left kidney. Rei looked up at him quizzically. "A scar from my childhood," he explained quietly.

Rei nodded then shivered. "We should get out now."

"Yeah." Kai watched Rei get out and grab a towel to wrap around his waist. "I'll just finish up here."

"Sure." 

Rei dried himself quickly as Kai washed his own hair and body and turned off the shower. Rei handed him a towel as he got out and Kai blushed. During that whole time Rei hadn't looked at him as directly as he was now. Rei looked him up and down his finely muscled body approvingly, smiling as he noticed Kai's blush. Kai walked past him, drying his hair and cursing himself silently for blushing and showing his unease. Kai finished drying himself properly and walked out of the bathroom, leaving the door open, in case Rei needed him for something. But Rei followed him out with his clothes.

Kai glanced at him to see that Rei was smiling secretively. He grabbed his clothes from the wardrobe and growled, "What?" as he pulled on new boxers.

"Nothing, just admiring the view."

"I'm sure it's very nice." Kai hid his blush by turning away to pull on his baggy black cargo pants.

"Maybe I should finally tell you something I should have a while ago."

"Go on." Kai pulled out tight black and red top.

"I'm gay."

Kai whirled around, his eyes wide. Rei was totally serious. There was a look in his eyes that made Kai exhale loudly.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, I just never thought of you being that way." Kai turned away and pulled on the high necked shirt.

"'That way'?" Rei sounded angry. "You make me sound different from you. I'm not."

"You are. You're Rei and I'm Kai."

"You know what I mean."

"Well nothing could be further from the truth." Kai turned back around with an amused look in his eyes.

Rei took a step back. "You mean ...?"

"Come on, did you seriously think that how I grew up had no effect on me besides my temper and attitude?" Kai shook his head and sat down to pull on a pair of black combat boots. "I've never known the pleasures of sex with a woman and I'm not sure I want to. No female has ever caught my attention yet. Neither has a specific man, but that doesn't mean anything."

"Wow." Rei stared at Kai. There were so many things he'd learned about his captain in just a short amount of time. He smiled as Kai completed his outfit by pulling on a pair of long red finger-less gloves. "I never knew."

"Obviously. I'm not one for sharing." Kai looked up at Rei to see him completely dressed in one of his usual Chinese outfits. A short sleeved white top edged in black with black pants and those soft black shoes of his. Kai frowned at the exposed arms.

"Do you have a longer shirt to wear under that?" Rei looked down seeing the wounds on his arms and shoulder.

"Shit, I forgot about those." He undid his shirt. "Could you bandage them again for me?"

Kai nodded and grabbed fresh bandages as Rei took his top off again. He placed himself behind Rei as he sat down on the bed and gently bandaged his shoulder first. Then he got up and knelt before Rei so he could bandage his arms too.

Kai frowned, looking Rei over.

"What is it?"

"We'll have to change your outfit if you want to mask those bandages." Kai got up and searched through Rei's clothes before grabbing a Chinese styled black shirt with short white sleeves and a white collar and ties. He grabbed a white sash as well and threw them at Rei. "That should do it."

"Right." Rei put it on as Kai went through his own clothes, searching for something. "Do I look all right now?" Kai turned around and his breath caught at the sight. The shirt was tighter than he thought and hugged Rei's figure rather than hiding it as his other shirts did.

"You look great. There's just one problem. They don't look like wrist bands." Kai nodded his head to Rei's bandages. Then he threw him a pair of short black finger-less gloves. "That should help." Rei pulled them on and grinned.

"Thanks Kai." Rei's grin faded slightly as Kai moved towards him. "What is it Kai?"

"There's just one last thing to fix now." Kai smiled, a slightly evil look coming to his face as he reached a hand to touch those silky raven strands.

***

Kenny opened the door as he heard a loud knock. He was quite glad for the distraction. Tyson and Max were still sleeping heavily and there had been strange sounds emerging from Rei and Kai's rooms for a while now. The last had been a loud despairing wail that he thought had been uttered by Rei.

"Hey Kenny." It was Lee and the White Tigers.

"Come in." Kenny moved away and winced as he heard a crash coming from inside the room.

"What was that?" Kevin asked, glancing at the closed door.

"Probably Rei throwing something at Kai." The White Tigers looked at Kenny in amazement.

"You mean my calm happy Rei did something like that?" Mariah asked with wide eyes. "I can't believe it."

Suddenly the door opened quickly and slammed closed right afterwards. Kai leaned against the door. He looked up, noticed that they had company and got off the door and straightened himself up and looked over at the White Tigers. "I see you're here on time. Good."

"What the hell is going on in there?" Lee asked him.

Kai looked a bit uncomfortable. "Uh, let's just say Rei gets feisty when he's angry." Kai glared at Kenny who's made a choking sound. "Mind out of the gutter Kenny."

"How did you manage to piss off Rei?" Lee asked in wonder.

"Oh, I guess I just pushed him a bit too far," Kai replied vaguely, leaning hard against the door again. Just in time too as they heard something rather heavy slam against it.

"I'm so going to kill you Hiwatari!" Rei yelled from inside. Everyone looked at Kai strangely. He gave them a weak grin.

"Okay, so maybe I did something a little more serious. Who would have thought he'd freak out so much over his hair."

Lee stared at him goggle-eyed. "You touched his hair? And you're still alive?"

"I guess it probably wasn't the best thing to do then."

"You think?" Lee shook his head. "Just remember you brought this on yourself Kai."

"Gee, that's a lot of help." Kai rolled his eyes. "Rei?" he called through the door. "Lee and your old team are here."

"What! I'm not going and you can't make me!"

"Rei, come on, seriously it looks good."

"You would say that, you're just trying to save your own ass."

"You bet I am." Kai suddenly frowned at the door and straightened up authoritatively. "All right Rei, no more messing around. Get your ass out here now."

"Kai," Rei whined. Kai opened the door and grabbed Rei by the back of his shirt and dragged him out. Rei pouted and glared at Kai. "You know I hate you."

"You told me that yesterday."

"I know, I just thought I'd tell you again." Rei sighed and stood up properly once Kai's hand fell from his back. He looked up at the others in the front room, ready for the damning words. "I just want you all to know that Kai did this, not me."

"Wow." Rei looked up at Lee's exclamation. He was smiling. "It's good. It suits you Rei."

"Totally, you look cool men." Kevin grinned at his friend.

Gary just gave him an approving nod.

"In that case, I did it." Rei grinned flicking the long braid over his shoulder and straightening out a strand of hair in his eye.

"Liar." Kai smiled. "Didn't I tell you it looked good? But did you trust me?"

Rei turned to Kai with a smile. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you Kai. Do you guys want to get going now?"

"I've just got to talk to Kai for a minute." Lee motioned for Kai to go into the bedroom. Kai nodded and followed him in, noticing Rei's apprehensive stare. He could see the question on Rei's lips.

Kai shook his head and smiled at Rei, who sighed in relief and mouthed 'thank you' to him before turning to the other three, or two. He was trying his hardest to avoid talking to Mariah.

Kai closed the door behind him and turned to Lee. "You wanted to talk." There was no hint of the slightly more free and happy Kai from before, it was back to the cold glare reserved for everyone except Rei.

"I want to know what the hell is going on."

"What do you mean?"

"What's up with Rei and you."

Kai's eyes widened. "What?"

"Not like that." Lee glared. "I want to know why you're acting so protective of him suddenly, especially around Mariah. Something went on yesterday and I want to know what."

Contrary to belief, Kai didn't like lying, but to protect Rei and his secret he would do anything. "There's a time and a place for everything to be revealed. If there's something that's been going on you'll find out when you're supposed to, not before."

"So there is something up." Lee looked furious. "If this involves one of my team members, I need to know."

Kai's eyes glazed over. "This isn't for me to tell, Lee. You're right something is going on, something very serious, but I can't tell you anything."

"But you want to?" Lee looked confused.

"Yes I do. I think you have a right to know and a need, but this isn't my decision. Because of the seriousness of the situation, Rei has to tell you himself."

Lee shook his head. "Kai, please, he's like a brother to me. I need to know what's going on."

"Keep an eye on him today, a very close one. Maybe you'll pick up a few hints. Watch Mariah closely too. I'm sure that there'll be a few things she'll say that might give things away too."

Lee looked worried as Kai said all this. "How serious is it?"

"Extremely. I'm scared shitless for Rei. Promise me you'll keep an eye on him."

Lee nodded. He was about to ask something else when a knock came at the door and Rei poked his head through. "You ready to go?" he asked with a smile.

Lee returned the smile, hiding his worry. "Sure. I'll be out in a second." Rei nodded and went back out. "How can I know that you're trustworthy?"

"Right now, I'm the only one who knows any way to deal with this problem and I'm the only one who Rei trusts. You don't have a choice in trusting me." Kai walked out of the room and Lee followed shaking his head at Kai's stubbornness.

"Ready now?" Rei asked with a glance at the two of them.

Lee nodded. "Let's go."

Mariah smiled and attached herself to Rei's arm. "Great. I can't wait to spend the day with my Rei."

Kai saw the panicked look in Rei's eye and cleared his throat. "Rei? Aren't you forgetting something?"

Rei looked at him gratefully. "Yes, I am. My wallet. How stupid can you be. You guys go down, I'll be right there." Rei dashed back inside the bedroom and Kai gave Lee a pointed look.

Lee cleared his throat. "You guys go down, I'll wait for Rei."

Mariah looked unhappy but the other two nodded so she went with them. Rei peeked out of the room and sighed in relief noticing that she had left. He smiled at Kai. "Thanks."

"No problem. Just be careful."

"Yes oh my captain." Rei grinned and walked over to Lee with a smirk.

"Don't be a smart-ass Rei."

"But Kai, I thought that's how you liked my ass." Kenny couldn't help it he started laughing uncontrollably.

"Kenny! Mind out of the gutter now!" Kai barked and Rei laughed at him.

"Guess he must have heard us in the shower earlier." Both Kenny and Lee looked at the two of them strangely.

"Rei, go now before I do something I may regret."

Rei grinned at his captain and blew him a kiss. "See you later Kai." Then he flounced out the door With Lee shaking his head at his old friend's behaviour. Kai glared at both of them. "Not a word."

"Wouldn't dream of it my friend." Lee followed Rei out the door and away from Kai's wrath.

Kai just looked at Kenny.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just, you two seemed to have an interesting morning." Kenny grinned and Kai growled, causing him to run away into his own bedroom. Left in the front room with nothing to do Kai simply glared.

__

AN: Yuka that chapter was for you seeing as you wanted a shower scene between the two bishies. Hope everyone enjoyed that one.


	7. Distractions and Complications

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I'm so glad so many of you enjoyed the last chapter. I had so much fun writing it. Now in this chapter I have some evil plot twists. Gotta love those. Enjoy.

****

Distractions and Complications

As soon as they got outside, Mariah pushed Lee aside rather rudely and latched onto Rei's arm.

"So are you finally ready to go now?" she asked, batting her eyelids.

Rei pulled his arm away. "Yeah. Hey, why don't I show you this really cool place Kai took us when we got here?" Rei smiled cheerfully, trying to hide the unease he felt when he was around Mariah. He took the lead and gestured for everyone to follow.

Lee watched him curiously, and cautiously, as he'd promised Kai and saw that slight flicker of unease when Mariah continually kept touching him. _Now what on earth is going on there? Last time I saw him Rei didn't have a problem with her? Did he?_ Lee scanned back through his memories as he walked, trying to find an incident that would have made Rei uncomfortable about being around Mariah. _I can't think of anything. Maybe it's something that happened yesterday, but what could it be?_

Lee decided to follow Kai's advice and keep an eye on Rei, hoping to find out something about his strange actions. He didn't stop watching him all day.

***

Kai typed furiously on Kenny's laptop, trying to find out if the person he wanted to talk to was online.

"You know Kai, I could help if you wanted." Dizzy was a bit curious about what Kai could be so interested in.

"I need you to keep working on Draciel's analysis. Kenny said he was almost finished, he just needed you to make a few more calculations. I figured you'd be up to it alone, so that's why I let him go." Kai didn't pause in his search while he talked to Dizzy, his eyes glued to the screen.

"I thought you needed him to keep an eye on Max and Tyson."

"That too." Kai smiled having found what he was looking for. "Great," he murmured. "He's on."

"Who's on?"

"Finish your calculations Dizzy." Kai signed into the private chat room and instigated a conversation with another person.

"Humph. Fine, ignore the intelligent bit-beast slaving away to help you. She doesn't mind."

Kai didn't take any notice of her, being too occupied by the conversation with the person he was searching for.

_I hope he can help me._ Kai typed something to his companion and smiled at her response. _Great, he's here in town … oh, damn. Guess I'll have to see him later tonight then. Hmm, what's this? Mail from Mr. Dickinson._

"Dizzy, there's an e-mail from Mr. Dickinson. He's organising a dinner for the teams. Could you contact him and tell him we'll make it and can you save the mail in case I forget."

"Like that's likely," Dizzy muttered, but she did it anyway. "What's so important that you couldn't do that yourself Kai? I never picked you as the lazy type."

"I've got to talk quickly right now, I don't have time for anything else."

"Sure, you're just like all the others making the bit0beats do all your dirty work."

Kai ignored her and returned to the conversation._ Damn, he's got to go. I'll have to talk to him later._ Kai sighed as the other person signed off. "Shit, I really needed him right now." He got up and walked away. "I've got to do a few things before tonight, Dizzy. Let Kenny and the others know when they get back."

"Fine, leave me here alone. It's not like it matters how I feel." Kai raised an eyebrow at Dizzy's theatrics then made sure everything was locked before leaving himself.

_Maybe I'll be able to catch him after his battle._

***

Rei led his former team to a small café later in the afternoon.

"These guys have the nicest milkshakes around," he assured his friends. "And their pastries are to dies for." Rei smiled and led everyone inside. Kevin raced for a table while Gary lumbered straight for the counter and the food.

"Hey Mariah," Kevin asked as the other three sat down. "What would you like to eat?"

"Just a milkshake Kevin. Strawberry." Kevin looked a bit hurt by her abrasive reply but walked over to Gary to get her order. Rei glanced at her, only to see her staring avidly at him.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Um, Lee would you like anything?"

Lee shook his head. "Maybe later." He grinned at Rei. "I meant to ask before, what was up with you and Kai this morning?"

Rei blushed, then started laughing nervously. "Oh, that. It was nothing, just a bit of fooling around."

Lee raised an eyebrow. "Kai? Fooling around?"

"Yeah." Rei looked a bit irritated. "Why does everyone have this weird perception of him as just a distant cold person? He's not."

"I guess you're closer to him than most. He is your captain."

"I know, but even the other Bladebreakers see him like that at times." Rei sighed. "No one seems to understand him."

"That's because he's a jerk," Mariah cut in viciously.

"Mariah!" Rei looked a bit upset.

"Why do you spend so much time with him Rei? He's not a very nice person, he'll be a bad influence on you." Mariah sidled up closer to him. "You should come back to our team, we wouldn't be mean or make you do extra training like he does."

"Mariah," Lee said warningly. Kevin and Gary sat down then, cutting off the conversation. Kevin smiled brightly and placed a cup in front of Mariah, oblivious to her glare.

"Strawberry milkshake as you requested."

"Did you get extra strawberry flavouring?" She inquired loftily.

Kevin looked a bit nervous. "You never asked for that."

"But you should know that I like that."

"I'm sorry, I forgot."

Mariah sniffed and turned away from him. "Well you'll have to make it up to me later." Kevin sat down, looking a bit upset by Mariah's actions. Lee glared at her, but decided not to make a scene in public.

_I'll definitely have to talk to her about that later._ "I think I'll get something now. Rei, would you like something?"

"How about I come with you? Rei smiled at him and got up.

"Sure."

Out of earshot, Rei turned and said quietly to Lee, "What's up with Mariah today?"

"I have no idea. I'm going to have to have a word with her later about her attitude." Lee ordered his milkshake, then turned back to Rei. "She's been acting like this for a while. Sometimes I think she has no regard for others." Lee shook his head sadly, glancing behind them at Mariah, who was sneering at something Kevin had said. He looked a bit down at her snide comment. Even Gary had noticed her actions. He'd looked up from his food and given her a sharp look. 

Lee sighed. "I guess I should get back there before I have to break up another fight."

"Does it get that bad?"

"Sometimes. I think Mariah believes she's better than we are. The way she talks to us gives me the shits, seriously." Lee paid for his drink and left Rei to order while he went back to the table in an attempt to avert a possible disaster.

The air was tense as Rei returned. Lee was sitting beside Mariah now in Rei's old seat. The pink-haired girl was looking quite annoyed with the arrangement too. Rei inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as he saw this and sat down beside Lee, taking a cautious sip of his drink.

"Hey, do you guys want to go to a park after this?" Rei smiled innocently at them. "There's a couple of bey dishes where amateurs practice. Not to mention it's beautiful there and there's a great view of the lake at sunset.

"That'd be great Rei." Mariah smiled and looked at him flirtatiously. "Do you think you could take me for a walk around there?"

"Maybe," Rei replied evasively. "I was thinking of checking out the local bladers for a bit of practice." He shrugged in apology. "We could all take the long way if we wanted, that way we get to see a bit more of the park then."

"Oh." Mariah looked disappointed and Lee saw a flash of anger in her eyes at the suggestion.

"Sound like a great idea Rei." Lee grinned at him. "Maybe you'd battle me if we get time."

"Definitely." Rei grinned. "Should we get going?" He looked around and saw that everyone was finished. The White Tigers nodded. "Okay then. Follow me." Rei got up and gestured for Lee to walk with him. Then he started a conversation on a few of the techniques he'd picked up with Kai and some of Lee's techniques, effectively cutting Mariah out as she tried to but in and change the subject and steal Rei from Lee.

She pouted and ignored all of Kevin and Gary's attempts to talk with her. They shrugged and talked between themselves, sometimes joining in with Rei and Lee. Mariah glared at the four boys and followed at a distance behind them, plotting in her mind ways to get Rei alone again.

***

Kai watched the furious battle raging in the beystadium with a smile. It was the last battle and the decider.

As soon as the winner was announced when one blade went flying from the dish, Kai turned away and walked in the direction of the locker rooms. Then he waited in the corridor after being allowed in by security. All bladers participating in the exhibition tournament were allowed access to the corridors at all times.

Kai closed his eyes and waited patiently, finally hearing the sound of voices coming down the corridor towards him. He smiled faintly recognising the voices. He cracked open one eye and smiled as the eight bladers stopped as they rounded the corner and came face to face with him.

"Kai." Robert smiled politely and approached him, holding out his hand. "It's good to see you."

"You too." Kai shook his hand and glanced over at the rest of the Majestics. Enrique grinned and winked. Oliver rolled his eyes at Enrique's greeting and smiled and waved himself. Johnny sneered and looked away. Kai smirked at the greetings then turned to the other four.

The Demolition Boys only glanced in his direction, nodding their heads in greeting. Well Ian and Spencer did. Bryan didn't even look over at him. Tala on the other hand walked towards him.

"Kai." He stopped an inch in front of the Bladebreaker's captain.

"Tala." Kai regarded him coolly.

Tala smirked. "You wanted to talk with me?"

"If you would be so kind." Kai walked away and Tala followed after gesturing for his team to go to the change room. They walked into a small room nearby and closed the door.

"Well." Oliver looked at the closed door in surprise. "I wonder what that was about."

Enrique snickered. "Think about it. Those two together in a locked room." He leered. "Oh the possibilities."

Oliver smacked him in the head. "Maybe if it was you it'd be possible. But them?"

"It's the most likely theory." Everyone turned to stare at the formerly silent Bryan. He glanced at Enrique. "Tala got involved with Kai when he was back on the team before."

Everyone gaped at him. Even Ian and Spencer.

"How the hell did you know that?" Ian demanded of his teammate.

"How I knew doesn't matter. But I don't think that Tala liked that Kai went back to the Bladebreakers. But then, those two have quite a long and strange history." Bryan walked into the change room ignoring the questions thrown at him to explain the situation.

"Well," Johnny finally spoke for everyone. "I certainly wasn't expecting that." He looked at the door and shuddered. "I really did not need to know that about those two." He shook his head and walked into the other change room.

Ian and Spencer looked at each other then at the closed door and shrugged. They followed Bryan into their change room. The three remaining Majestics decided not to make any more comments and left the corridor completely empty.

***

Contrary to the belief of the two teams, Tala and Kai were not doing … whatever they thought they were doing.

"So what's this about?" Tala was leaning against the door watching Kai pace nervously.

Kai glanced up. "I need your advice and help with a problem with a member of my team."

Tala smirked. "There's something the great Kai needs help with? Has the world ended or something?"

Kai growled and pinned Tala harshly against the door. "This is fucking serious Tala."

"How serious?" Tala's eyes were ice. He didn't appreciate people constricting his movement in any way. Kai gently pulled down the neck on Tala's sweater. "What the fuck are you doing?" Tala tried to push him away, but Kai was too strong. Tala shivered as Kai gently traced the scar around his neck. Kai looked directly into Tala's eyes and the wolf shivered at the intensity and pain he saw there.

"That serious."

Tala shut his eyes. "Shit."

"Yeah."

"Who?"

Kai looked away. "I can't tell you."

"Don't give me that Kai. I need to know. I can't help you much otherwise." Kai knew Tala was right, but he was still hesitant. "Do you really think I'd say anything?"

Kai shook his head. "It's just hard. I never thought I'd have to deal with this again."

"Neither did I, but I'm still having to deal with everything that happened."

"Tala, you know I tried to help."

"I know, I was stupid. But I'm fine now, or at least I will be. I have someone else to deal with now."

"Bryan?"

"Yeah. I couldn't do anything before because of Boris, but now I can. But it's been hard."

"You know I'm here if you need me."

"I know, but I'm not sure that he trusts you completely."

"Well you didn't either at one point."

Tala smirked. "You can be very persuasive when you need to be."

"So can you." Kai returned the smirk and suddenly realised how close he was to Tala. The smirk faded.

Tala raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to play?"

Kai shook his head. "Sorry, but I …" He looked away and finally released Tala.

Tala nodded in understanding. "Someone else?" Kai nodded. "That's why you're here." Kai nodded again. "Rei." Kai's eyes widened and Tala grinned wryly. "You think I didn't notice the way you look at him? Jeez Kai, I know you better than you think." Tala's own smile faded. "This is serious then. I was hoping you were talking about one of the others."

"Why?"

"Because I know they could deal with it. The very fact that you were asked to keep it a secret sort of gave away that it was Rei. The little kitten's too self-effacing and selfless, he'd do anything to avoid trouble and confrontations. I'd bet he would have hidden this from you too."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't think he would have told me willingly." Kai ran his hand through his hair. "Tala, what do I do? He's putting on a brave face, but I know this has affected him so much deeper than he's admitting even to me."

"Who was it?"

"Mariah."

Tala's eyes widened. "This is not good. She's close to him, isn't she?" Kai nodded. "Shit. The betrayal adds another twist to everything. What's he done?"

"He already tried to slit his wrists."

Tala closed his eyes in pain. "This is not good. He needs to confront her and he has to talk to someone else. He's not letting you tell anyone?"

"Not even Lee. Gods he could do something to help, but Rei's refusing." Kai hugged himself in a vulnerable gesture. "I'm so worried about it. He's with her and the White Tigers now. Hopefully with Lee there she won't do anything, but she managed to get him alone last night with both teams in a hotel room."

"You let him go?"

"He's the most stubbourn, irritating and naïve child sometimes. I did warn Lee to keep an eye on him and Mariah though."

"Well that's something." Tala sighed. "What have you done beside that?"

Kai looked away, slightly nervous about telling Tala. "I … I told him about …" he looked away. "I'm sorry, I needed some way for him to trust me and let him know that I understand and could do something to help."

Tala nodded. "You must have been really freaked."

"Of course I was freaked. Rei, the most normal and stable member of my team tried to kill himself. Considering my past involving attempted suicides I think I had reason to be distressed. My team mean a lot to me and I'll do anything to protect them."

Tala laughed softly. "Who would have thought it. Kai the knight in shining armour. Strangely enough, it suits you."

"Are you going to help or not? I don't appreciate jibes when I'm serious."

"I'll help, but I'll have to talk to him at least."

"I was going to insist on it any way." Kai thought for a second. "There's a dinner tonight with the teams. I'll get you to talk to him after that?"

"Sure. Are we done now? I think Bryan will get suspicious if I stay in here too long with you."

"Why?"

"Because of this." Tala moved over and pinned Kai against a wall then proceeded to kiss him hungrily. Kai started to respond to the familiar feel of those lips against him then stopped and pulled away.

"Tala …"

"I know. This is my goodbye. I think I deserve one since I didn't get it last time." He placed a chaste kiss on Kai's lips. "And that was a thank you for everything you've ever done for me."

"You're welcome." Kai smiled then placed his soft lips on Tala's one last time. "Good bye Tala." He moved out of Tala's grip and walked over to the door and left without looking back.

Tala sighed, forcing back the tears he suddenly felt and walked to the change room. He ignored his teammates curious stares and simply grabbed his training bag. "Let's go," he ordered coldly, his voice and expression not conveying any of his tumultuous emotions. "We've got to get ready for a dinner being held by Mr. Dickinson." Ian and Spencer nodded and grabbed their things and exited the change room.

Tala stared at Bryan who hadn't moved. "What are you staring at?" he demanded.

"So that was it?"

Tala looked surprised but covered it up quickly with an icy glare. "I told you to get out of here. We don't want to be late, so move your ass." Tala watched as Bryan slowly grabbed his own bag, his eyes not leaving his captain's.

"Perhaps it was for the best for everyone involved," he commented softly as he left the room, finally breaking eye contact with Tala.

Tala smashed a fist against the wall. He felt a strange wetness on his cheek and realised that he had shed a tear. "Damn you Hiwatari," he muttered. "And damn me for loving you too much." He grabbed his bag, dashed an angry hand against his cheek to wipe away the wetness and exited the change room. With his back straight and head held high, his aloof and cold demeanour back in place, no one would suspect that inside his heart was crying out in pain. Unless they were watching him as closely as a concerned falcon.

__

AN: Wait until you see the next chapter ;D


	8. Letting Go

__

Howdy all, here I am with another chapter, my longest yet (probably only until the next one) Still, it's an accomplishment. I had to put a bit of Kai/Tala stuff in somewhere, they're my second favourite couple. I'm sure you understand.

Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter too. I'll give you a hint to what's coming: there's another kawaii romantic moment in there.

Enjoy.

****

Letting Go

Rei walked slowly down the shadowed park path, the trees overhead letting only patches of golden light through to contrast with the dark silhouettes he stepped softly over. He came to the end of the path and smiled in delight as he caught sight of the sparkle of gold reflecting on the gentle blue surface of the lake.

Rei wandered slowly towards the small hill overlooking the twinkling waters. The gentle breeze caught in Rei's hair and pushed it slightly in front of his eyes, a few strands escaping his braid and drifting over his shoulders. His golden eyes looked contentedly over the beautiful scenery as he sat down atop the hill and stared out over the lake.

"You were right." Rei looked up behind him as someone approached. Lee smiled down at him. "It is beautiful."

"Did I worry you?"

"Yeah. You disappeared on us. I didn't know what happened." Lee sat down beside him.

Rei looked back out over the water. "I didn't want to miss this."

Lee nodded. "So how did you find this place?"

"Kai showed me. He'd been here before once with his grandfather on a trip when he was younger. Tyson and Max were with Kenny at the dishes and I got bored. I saw Kai walking off and I followed him. I think he realised I was there as we walked down the path but he didn't stop. He came down here and just stared out at the water for a while. I walked up to him and looked out curiously to see what he was so captivated by."

"What was it?" Lee asked.

"This." Rei pointed out at the lake. Lee turned his head and his breath caught. The sun was just beginning to set on the lake and was spreading red and gold rays all over the surface of the blue lake and caused everything they to have a glowing halo outlining it.

"Wow," Lee breathed. "It's beautiful." He looked over at Rei and his breath caught again. The raven-haired boy before him was more remarkable than the scenery before him could ever hope to be. His blissful features were bathed in a golden glow, his hair sun-streaked and shimmering in the gentle wind. He looked like a godling sitting there, his golden eyes shining with happiness.

"You've been staring at me all day."

Lee shook himself from the spell that had captured him. "You noticed that."

"It was hard not to."

"Kai was worried about something."

"Oh." Rei didn't look away from the view. "Kai often worries about pointless things."

"Sometimes he doesn't. Like this time. Something's wrong Rei."

"Really, I hadn't noticed."

Lee shook his head sadly. "You can't keep hiding everything from me. I'll find out eventually."

Rei shrugged. "You can't find anything if there's nothing to hide."

"Kai seems to think there's something wrong."

There was a miniscule flicker of something in Rei's eyes. "You seem to hold Kai in quite a high esteem. When did that happen?"

"As soon as I discovered how much you cared for him."

Rei spun his head around sharply, his eyes wide. "What? What do you mean by that?"

Lee smiled. "Exactly what I said."

Rei turned back away, guiltily. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was afraid, I didn't want you to get mad or upset or something."

"I'm not mad and I understand why you didn't say anything." Lee chuckled. "I actually had suspicions a long time ago."

"How long?"

"Since you left. That present you left for me seemed slightly inappropriate for the brotherly relationship we had." Lee grinned. "I saw that and it got me thinking. Gods, I was so blind to miss it. That morning I just sat there staring at the charm you gave me for hours. Then Kevin ran in to say you'd disappeared. You have no idea how much that hurt, to have you reveal your hart to me through a gift then leave. That more than anything was what made me so mad and upset. Everyone else thought it was because of Drigger and your 'betrayal', but you hurt me a lot deeper than that Rei."

Rei was staring at Lee in shock. The older boy he considered his brother had tears in his eyes, but he managed a smile. "I found you again, but I was still so angry with you that I never even considered anything but revenge on you. By the time my head cleared enough to be able to accept you back, I'd realised you'd moved on."

"Lee," Rei faced him with a stricken expression, but Lee held up a hand.

"I don't want anything from you now Rei, I just wanted to let you finally know what I'd felt all these years."

Rei felt tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "Lee, I'm so sorry, I didn't ever mean to hurt you, I was just scared and I thought you'd hate me. I looked up to you like a brother and I loved you like one. I realise that now and I'm sorry I can no longer say I return everything you feel."

"I know. But could I just have one memory of what we could have shared? I don't want to move on thinking you didn't mean as much to me as you do."

Rei smiled. "I would be honoured to be so cherished in your memory." He reached out to gently touch Lee's face and leaned in close, hesitating slightly before placing his warm lips on top of Lee's.

Lee reached up behind Rei's head and drew him down gently, deepening the soft kiss, all of his love conveyed through the tender touch of his lips to Rei's. Then he moved back, breaking the soft kiss of loving regret and gently trailed his fingers down Rei's cheek.

"Thank you Rei," he whispered softly. "Know that forever you will always have a place in my heart."

Rei smiled gently, tears still running down his cheeks. "As you do in mine. As you always have." Rei looked down and raised himself up onto his knees.

Lee caught sight of something and frowned. "What's this?" He asked curiously, gesturing to Rei's forearm. 

Rei looked down and mentally swore. _Damn, I didn't realise I'd been bleeding._

Rei looked back up at Lee, a bit sheepishly. "I was being a bit stupid this morning and didn't watch where I was going in the bathroom. I slipped on a wet patch and managed to catch myself on the vanity before I fell completely. But Kai's razor was on the edge and I scraped myself accidentally. It's no big deal. Kai cleaned it and bandaged it up for me."

Lee looked at him quizzically, unsure of how to take this. "And here I thought you'd grown out of your clumsiness." He grinned. "You're lucky you didn't almost kill yourself."

Rei smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, I sure am lucky about that." Then he got up and offered to help Lee stand. "Come on, it's getting late, we should get back."

"You're right. Let's get the others and head back to your hotel." Lee and Rei started walking down the path again, not realising that a pair of furious, pink-lashed, golden eyes had witnessed their whole exchange.

***

"Kai? Kenny, Max, Tyson? You guys here?" Rei shrugged to Lee and the others. "I guess they're still out doing … whatever, do you guys want to come in?"

"We should probably get going, but we'll hand around for a bit." Lee entered the hotel sitting room with the others close behind. "Where could they have gone?"

"Not sure." Rei looked around for a note of some kind and spotted Kenny's laptop open on the coffee table. "Dizzy." He walked over and sat in front of the computer.

"Well finally," the huffy bit-beast snarled. "I've been left here since early this afternoon all alone with nothing to do but complete mathematical equations for that slave driver Kai!"

"Kai?" Rei looked surprised. "Why would he want you to do maths?"

"Because Kenny foolishly informed him that his analysis on Draciel only needed a few more finishing touches that he'd asked me to do. So after he'd chatted for a while he left me and told me to finish what I'd started, which I did. Three hours ago. Even a bit-beats like me needs to socialise a bit and sleep!"

Rei laughed at Dizzy's temperamental attitude. "Did he leave any messages with you?"

"Only the one that Mr. Dickinson sent. There's a dinner tonight at seven for the competitors in the Exhibition tournament. Everyone's to meet at the stadium."

"Seven? Lee cut in from behind Rei. "That's pretty soon."

"You guys go then and get ready. I'll wait here for everyone. They should be arriving back soon."

"Are you sure?" Lee looked a bit worried. "I could stay behind if you want."

Rei shook his head. "I'll be fine. Kai should be back soon, he wouldn't leave without knowing where everyone was and I'm sure that Tyson and the others will be back soon too."

Lee nodded. "So long as you're sure. We'll see you soon then."

"Bye Rei," Gary called out as he exited.

"Yeah, see you. It was great spending tie with you again today." Kevin grinned and waved.

Mariah walked up to Rei and embraced him. Not caring how he stiffened. "I'm glad we got to go out today," she said aloud. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned n closer to whisper, "Don't worry, tonight will be even better." Before Rei had a chance to push her away in disgust, Mariah let him go and winked before she left the room.

Lee watched her leave suspiciously. He saw the look of panic and disgust cross Rei's features as Mariah touched him, but he still wasn't sure why exactly Rei would feel like that about her. "Rei?" Rei looked up at Lee and tried to hide his panicked state but it didn't quite work. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

Rei shook his head. "I don't want you to be late." Rei smiled then impulsively embraced the older boy. "Thank you for today Lee."

"You're welcome." Lee returned the hug. "I'll see you soon then." He broke away with a soft smile and walked out of the room, leaving Rei alone in the hotel room.

Rei sighed and walked back over to Dizzy. "Did you want me to shut you down now?"

"Please," the bit-beast begged. "I'm in dire need of a recharge."

"Sure thing." Rei shut down the laptop, plugging it into a socket to recharge and grabbed a page from the notebook that Kenny always kept with Dizzy in case of any need. He wrote down the message about the dinner and that the calculations for Draciel were complete in case Kenny was wondering why Dizzy wasn't still on.

He looked down at his slightly blood stained bandage and sighed. "Guess I better go change this as well as my clothes." 

***

Kai put his key in the lock and frowned when the door simply opened when he turned the handle. _I thought I locked this._ Kai opened the door completely and looked around to find no one there.

_Well someone must have been here and forgot to lock the door._ Kai walked over to the coffee table and noticed the not one top of Kenny's closed laptop. He smiled, recognising the handwriting. _Rei._ He looked over and noticed their door was ajar. He walked in quietly and saw no Rei. _Where is he?_ Then Kai noticed a light on in the bathroom. "Rei?" he called out nervously.

There was no answer.

Kai freaked. "Rei?' He called out louder, walking quickly over to the bathroom door when there was again no answer. He opened the door to find Rei standing in front of the mirror unbraiding his hair and listening to music on his Discman, shirt off, fresh bandages on his shoulder, but his arms unbound. He whirled around when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and took off his headphones.

"Fuck! Don't do that to me, you scared the shit out of me," they both said at the same time.

Kai looked a bit flustered. "When you didn't answer, I thought …"

"Oh." Rei smiled. "I guess I haven't given you any reason not to worry yet have I?"

Kai shook his head. "Not really. How was today?"

"Better than expected." Rei sighed. "Mariah kept whining the whole time and I know she kept trying to get close to me." He shuddered. "Luckily, I either avoided her or Lee came along and interrupted her." Rei glared at Kai. "You told him to keep an eye on me."

"Why shouldn't I have?" Kai returned the frosty stare. "I needed someone I could trust to watch out for you today. I didn't want a repeat of last night. I didn't want anything worse."

"Kai, I'm not going to try and kill myself again."

"How do I know that?" Kai asked angrily. "Yesterday morning I could have said for sure that you would never do something like that. You were the stable one, the clam one, the reasonable one. You'd never do something as irresponsible and stupid as try and commit suicide. You have no idea what it felt like to see you there yesterday with blood all over you. My heart stopped and I felt like a helpless child again. Do you realise what you could have done to me? To the rest of the team? To everyone who loves you with that one single idiotic action? We could have lost you forever and I will not risk that again. Your life means, _you_ mean too much to me, to everyone, to loose over something this petty." Kai now stood just before Rei, his face completely unguarded, tears in his eyes.

"Oh gods Kai." Rei threw himself on his captain and grabbed him in a tight embrace, burying his face into the crook of Kai's neck. "I'm so sorry," he sobbed. "I didn't think, I don't want to lose you either. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"Rei." Kai closed his eyes and grabbed onto the boy firmly. "Promise me you won't leave me? No matter what happens, be strong for me and come back to me, please."

Rei nodded. "I'll try to be strong for you Kai." He released the older boy and smiled. "I promise I'll always come back."

Kai gave him a brilliant smile. "Thank you." He then suddenly seemed to realise that he wasn't acting like his usual self and cleared his throat nervously. "So, tell me about today."

Rei nodded and returned to standing before the vanity and continuing to unbraid his hair. "I took the guys around town, showing them all the places I liked when you took us around. We stopped by that little café by the park for something to eat. I love that place. Then we checked out some of the amateurs for a while and Lee and I battled. Then the two of us ended up on the hill by the lake as the sun was setting." 

Rei stopped there and frowned suddenly as he came across a large knot in his hair that he couldn't untangle. "Damn it," he muttered. Then he stilled as he felt gentle fingers replacing his and gently unwinding the tangle in his hair. Rei smiled in the mirror to Kai's reflection. "Thanks."

Kai shrugged it off and kept untangling Rei's hair. "Continue."

Rei nodded. "So the two of us watched the sunset on the hill. Lee was as impressed as I was by the display. Then we had a talk." Rei stopped again. Kai had finished untangling his hair, but he continued to run his fingers through it gently, brushing it out. Rei leaned back into the touch with a lethargic smile. Kai smirked at the feline display. Rei was a very sensual creature, he loved to be touched and stroked by those he felt comfortable with.

"What did you talk about? Something important?" Kai asked, not really caring whether Rei answered or not.

"Yeah, it was rather momentous." Rei smiled in remembrance. "Lee told me he loved me."

Kai's hands stilled as he heard this admission. Rei looked up at him curiously. "I … I had no idea," Kai told him with a slight frown.

"Neither did I. I was in love with him when I was still living with the White Tigers, but I never told him. On the night I left though, I left a small love charm on his pillow. He told me when he woke up that he'd finally realised how I'd been feeling and that he'd felt the same way, but didn't recognise it. But by the time we met up again, I'd moved on."

Kai let out a breath he didn't know he'd been keeping. For some reason his mouth was dry and his heart was beating fast. "What happened then?" he asked quietly, hesitantly, as though afraid of the answer.

"He asked if he could have a memory us to cherish, so that he'd never forget his love for me." Rei looked down and blushed slightly. "So we kissed, our first and only kiss. I never would have forgotten him, he was my first love, but that bittersweet memory will be cherished by both of us as a memory of what we could have had together."

Kai looked away. This was something deep and personal that Rei was sharing with him. He felt slightly guilty that he was hearing this. He cleared his throat, which was starting to become a habit for him. "That was beautiful. It's hard to give up your first love, even if you no longer have the same feelings."

Rei turned around to face Kai. "You know what that feels like?" Kai nodded. He decided to share his memories with Rei in return for what Rei shared with him.

"Do you remember how I told you that I thought Tala was dead?" Rei nodded. "When I saw him standing there in the Abbey, my heart stopped and I didn't quite know what to feel. Relief, anger, sorrow, delight. He didn't seem as pleased to see me though."

"Later that night I came across him in a corridor. I asked him what his deal was. He said he had a problem with me. I wanted to know why. We got into a bit of an argument and I somehow lost control of myself enough to tell him how much he meant to me, like tonight with you. I told him how scared I was that I'd almost lost him."

Kai laughed softly. "The look on his face was priceless. He had no idea that anyone cared about him that much. He couldn't take what he was feeling so he ran away to his room. Of course I followed him. He'd been crying as he ran, which made me even more worried. I didn't even get to ask what was wrong before he pinned me against a wall and kissed me."

Rei stared at him curiously. "What happened, why aren't you two still together?" Kai sighed in response and looked down into Rei's eyes, showing his pain.

"I cared for him greatly, but what I felt as a child was no longer as strong. I'd been changed and I couldn't give him everything he needed. Not to mention he was still scarred. By getting into a relationship, I was actually having an adverse affect on his rehabilitation, he was becoming too co-dependant with me. We were only together for a short time, which made things even worse. I wasn't entirely stable myself, what with the whole Black Dranzer thing. I didn't even say goodbye to him when I left to go back with you guys."

Rei looked away as he saw the pain and regret in Kai's eyes. "Do you think you will ever be able to repair things with him?"

"Not like he wants. I've already met with him again and everything's over now, but I hurt him badly with my rejection, but it's the best thing for both us and everyone else." Rei nodded and Kai shook himself away from memory lane. "We should be getting ready." He moved away from Rei, not seeing the disappointment in the feline eyes as he did so.

"Sure." Rei exited the bathroom and grabbed a set of fresh clothes, leaving Kai to do whatever he needed to in the bathroom.

He sighed as he stripped off. _I guess he won't get involved with me then, if he regretted his relationship with Tala._ Rei frowned, pulling on a fresh pair of loose black pants. _No, he didn't say he regretted being with Tala, just that they were both so unstable in the relationship. Which means he doesn't want to be involved with someone when he's trying to help them deal with problems like mine._ Rei groaned miserably and pulled on a long sleeved black undershirt. _Which means I have no chance right now._ He pulled on the long red Chinese overshirt and tied it up completely up to his chin and tied a black sash around his waist. _Although, he hasn't minded my flirting with him, but then maybe he thinks I'm just being friendly._ Rei smirked as he tied on his red headband. _Well, tonight I'll find out how far he's willing to go. I don't want to make the same mistake as I did with Lee and miss this chance._

Rei looked up as he heard the bathroom door open. Kai walked out then stopped as he saw him and smiled. "You look nice," he commented, moving over to the wardrobe for his clothes.

"Thanks." Rei grabbed a fresh roll of bandages then sat down on the bed and pushed his sleeves up, trying to ignore Kai, who had stripped off his gloves and top already. Kai looked over and frowned. He walked over to Rei and sat down in front of Rei, grabbing the bandages from him.

"You won't be able to do it properly," he informed Rei brusquely as he quickly started winding the white gauze around his arm.

"I did my shoulder just fine," Rei protested.

"Your shoulder wounds aren't as deep or serious. They won't bleed as much." Kai finished bandaging his left arm then started on his right forearm. Rei watched him in silence. He grinned as Kai finished. "Thanks Kai."

Kai grunted softly. "Ask me next time." He got up and walked back over to his clothes. Rei walked into the bathroom to finish doing his hair, and to let Kai have his privacy while changing. He decided on the braid again, seeing as he didn't have enough time to wrap his hair up. _Kai was right, it does actually look good._

There was a sharp knock at the door and the two of them heard Tyson call out, "Rei? Kai?"

Rei went out and saw that Kai was still only half dressed, so he went over and went out to meet with Tyson and the others.

"Hey Rei," he greeted cheerfully. Then he noticed the outfit Rei was wearing. "Woah, looking spiffy Rei. What's the occasion?"

Rei sighed and rolled his eyes. Kenny answered from beside his laptop. "A dinner for the teams at seven."

"Seven?" Max looked startled. "That's in like fifteen minutes!" He grabbed onto Tyson's jacket then onto the back of Kenny's shirt and dragged them into their room to quickly get ready. Rei chuckled at their childish behaviour then went back into his own room.

Kai was just pulling on his gloves and Rei had to say that Kai looked delicious. Tight black pants tucked into those same black boots he's worn today. A high necked tight grey shirt. A long sleeveless black jacket that swirled around his calves that also had the collar turned up. Long black finger-less gloves replaced the red ones from today and were joined to the sleeveless shirt by thin silver chains that matched the thicker silver chain belt that hung on his hips attached to the tight pants.

"Wow," Rei breathed looking Kai up and down. He tried to say more, but it wouldn't come out.

Kai flushed slightly. "Thanks," he muttered. He cleared his throat again. "We should get going soon. Are those three ready yet?"

"I'll go check." Rei fumbled when he reached for the door handle, but managed to grab it and turn it on the third try and rushed out of the room and over to the other door.

Banging furiously, he called out, "Are you three ready yet?"

Kenny opened the door and came out. He was dressed rather conservatively in grey slacks and a white shirt and black tie. "Uh, we're having a few problems with Tyson."

Max came out as he heard Kenny's voice and scowled. "That's an understatement. He keeps complaining how uncomfortable the clothes feel and how he doesn't like what they look like." Max shook his head and unconsciously smoothed down his light blue sweater that went rather well with his white jeans and shoes.

"Would you like me to help?" Rei stifled a laugh at the way the two of them agreed so eagerly. The looks of relief showed how much trouble they were having with the dragon.

"Tyson?" Rei stepped cautiously into the room, cautiously considering the mess of clothes and other junk that littered the floor. _Wow, I had no idea anyone could be this messy. _Rei winced as he almost stepped on a half-eaten chocolate bar and made his way to stand beside Tyson who was throwing clothes out of the wardrobe and onto the large bed in frustration. "Would you like some help there?"

"Rei!" Tyson hugged him in relief. "I have nothing to wear. It all makes me look fat and ugly." Rei stifled another laugh at the extremely feminine comments.

"Well, how about this?" Rei held out a pair of jeans. "Then you can wear this." He pulled out a shirt very similar to Kai's usual shirts, sleeveless, high necked and black. "Then over that you can have this." Rei smiled in triumph as he pulled out a dark blue shirt similar to the red ones that Tyson usually wore. "Then you can wear sneakers with it."

Tyson grinned. "Rei, you're a genius!" He gave him another hug. "Thanks so much."

"Just hurry okay? We're going soon."

"Sure thing," Tyson called out as Rei left and closed the door behind him. Kenny and Max were sitting on the couch talking quietly. Kai was leaning against a wall with his eyes closed. The two looked up as he entered.

"I found him something to wear." Rei grinned. "He's worse than a girl."

"Hey!" came the indignant reply from inside the room. "I heard that."

A few minutes later Tyson emerged looking rather scrumptious himself. Everyone nodded in approval. "Are we going to go now?" Tyson asked, untying his hair and quickly brushing his fingers through it and retying it.

"Yeah." Kai moved and opened the door. "So get your ass out now or we'll be late." He hurried them out and the Bladebreakers made their way to dinner.

__

AN: Did you guys like? Trust me, you'll want the next chapter, I've got so much fun stuff happening, I mean, there is a party after all. *big evil knowing grin*


	9. Time To Talk Or Maybe Not

__

Hey again. I'm so loving this fic and I'm glad everyone else is too. Trust me, you will like this chapter. It's long too.

WARNING: Underage drinking in this chapter.

****

Time To Talk … Or Maybe Not

Tyson pouted as Kai snatched the drink from his hands. "Come on Kai, just one? It won't hurt."

"You'll thank me when you're older and realise what a folly it is to drink too much when you're young." Kai put the drink back on the waiter's tray.

"You sound like you know?"

"I do." Kai smirked at Tyson's glare and walked away. Rei, watching the whole exchange from his seat with Lee and Michael, laughed as Tyson tried to sneak another one, only to have Kai snatch that away too.

"He never learns does he?" Michael shook his head.

"Not that I've noticed," Rei commented dryly. He watched as Tyson tried to con Max into getting a drink for him but only succeeded in getting both of them in trouble with Kai. "I'd better go help him."

"Tyson?"

"No, Kai."

Lee smirked as Rei walked away and murmured, loud enough for the retreating boy to hear, "I'm sure that's not the only thing you'll help him out with. Or out _of_, whichever you prefer."

Michael watched in amusement as Rei's face flamed. "You know, I always suspected about those two."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Michael turned to him with a grin and something flickered in his eyes. "It's something a guy like me would recognise."

"A guy like you?" _Could he mean …?_

Michael grinned. "Yeah. If I didn't know Rei was interested, I'd go for the blue-haired captain myself. He's rather attractive, don't you think?"

Lee smiled. "I guess, but I tend to prefer guys who are slightly more outgoing and sociable than Kai."

"More sociable than Kai." Michael grinned. "I'm sure that can be arranged quite easily."

"And who would you suggest?" Lee asked innocently, toying with the other boy.

Michael moved closer. "I think you know who I have in mind."

Lee's gaze flickered over to Rei who was laughing as Kai continually confiscated drinks from Tyson and, without the younger boy knowing, took sips of them as Kai passed them to him. "Then he'll have to keep in mind that I just got over something serious."

Michael nodded. "I'm sure he'll understand."

"Good. Then it'll take a lot more than flirting for him to get me." Lee grinned and walked off, leaving a spluttering Michael behind.

Rei watched this with his peripheral vision and grinned. _It looks like Lee's found someone to play with._ He turned his gaze to Kai, who had managed to worm a promise from Tyson that he wouldn't try and get any more drinks. He grinned. _I guess it's time for my fun now._

***

Kai sighed as he finally took a seat at one of the tables and glanced around at the huge hall the BBA had rented for this soirée. It was decorated elegantly with various white silver and gold streamers and whatnot. There were dozens of tables for the many guests milling about. Kai hadn't even heard of most of these people, but they were rich and associated with the BBA in some way or another.

_It makes me wonder, if both Max's parents are here as well as Tyson's father and grandfather, why the hell aren't they watching them and trying to stop them from getting alcohol poisoning?!!_

"Hmm, you look fairly pissed." Kai growled as that familiar silky voice assaulted his ears with its smug amusement.

"Tala, I'm enjoying my rest from babysitting. I don't need you and your comments to bug me for at least five minutes when I know I'll have to get up again to stop Tyson from pouring some strange concoction of poison down his throat."

"Why would you want to?" Tala murmured softly.

Kai laughed. "You're right, I really should let them learn that lesson on their own." Kai turned towards him, but something caught his eye and his breath.

Tala didn't need to look behind him to know what caught Kai's attention. "Yes, Rei does look stunning tonight."

"I wasn't …" Kai flushed slightly.

Tala smirked. "You shouldn't lie you know. You're nose will grow."

Kai glared. "Okay, I was looking, but looking doesn't mean touching. I will not make a move on him."

"Why not? You want to and I'm sure he wants to—"

"He doesn't." Kai cut Tala off with a bitter laugh. "He thinks of me as an older brother."

"Is that why he's been flirting with you all night?" Kai flushed again. "Younger siblings don't do that to their older brothers. Not in any normal family anyway."

Kai just stared at him with that comment. Tala coughed and cleared his throat. "You are one weird fucker you know that Tala."

"I've known for a while. But I'm not the only one who's thinking dirty thoughts tonight." Tala smirked at something behind Kai and the curious boy turned around and gaped.

"Oh my god, did Michael just try to kiss Lee?"

"He's been trying to all night. But the lion seems to like playing with his food."

"Are you sure that Lee intends to let him get anywhere? Last I heard he was still getting over Rei?"

"Really? Where'd you hear this?"

"From Rei."

"Wow. Rei certainly has a fixation with family figures. I wonder if it's because of his lack of a family when he was younger."

Kai looked at his ex-lover with a raised eyebrow. "Tala, could you maybe go one night without the psycho-analysis?"

"Didn't you want me to 'analyse' Rei for you?" Tala smirked and dodged a hand aimed at the back of his head. "Or did you want me to analyse you too? Or maybe both of you?" Tala grinned.

"You have a dirty mind."

"You're the one who's thinking it Kai, not me."

Kai snorted and looked away, trying to find something to distract him. He found Rei pretty easily and smiled dreamily. Tala groaned as he saw the look.

Rei felt eyes watching him as he talked with Oliver and Enrique and looked up to see Kai watching him. Kai gestured him over and he smiled softly and excused himself, leaving the two boys to talk of … other things. Rei hesitated slightly as he walked over, noticing Tala sitting with Kai. 

"Hi Tala," he held out his had as he approached and offered the boy a smile. "It's nice to see you again."

"Tala smirked slightly as he took his hand. "I'm sure, although I think you're more pleased to be with Kai rather than me."

Rei returned the smirk after a slight widening of his eyes. "We'll Kai's a pleasing person to be around."

Tala grinned. _This kid is fun._ "Or in," he murmured and Kai cleared his throat uncomfortably. He seemed more embarrassed than anything, Rei noted with interest.

_I wonder how intense their relationship actually was. _"I wouldn't know about that," Rei murmured quietly with a sly glance in Kai's direction. "I'm not one to take so much initiative. I rather prefer others to take initiative instead."

"I see." The wolf shared a sly grin with the tiger and glanced over at the startled phoenix. The smirk from Rei directed in Kai's direction left no arguments over who that comment was directed at. "I think we have quite a bit to talk about Rei."

"I'm sure we do." Rei leered laughingly in Kai's direction and the blader stiffened slightly and flushed. Rei turned back to Tala. "I'm sure that Kai has more entertaining things to do anyway."

"Not without you," he murmured so quietly that the two boys debated whether they'd actually heard anything at all. "Excuse me," he bowed slightly with a sardonic grin. "I must go check on the children and make sure they didn't get into the alcohol." Kai left the two of them to talk as he went of in search of Tyson, who was probably already drunk considering how long Kai left him alone for.

"I did just hear correctly, didn't I?" Tala asked Rei.

"If you heard what I did then yes, I'd assume so." Rei chuckled slightly.

Tala smirked again, a favourite expression of his it seemed. "You seem to have made quite an impression on him." Rei blushed. "You're lucky, luckier that you think."

Rei looked over at the redhead curiously. _What was that catch in his voice? He almost sounded jealous, or resentful._ "How do you mean exactly?" Rei asked instead.

Tala gave him a withering look and Rei blushed again. "You know exactly how I mean. Kai doesn't let many people flirt with him."

"Oh, you noticed that."

"At least you didn't try to stupidly deny it."

"Why would I do that? I like flirting with him, he's cute when he blushes and I love making fun of him." Tala laughed softly at this, but stopped when Rei's face took on a very serious expression. "Why are you here Tala?"

Tala decided to skip all the bullshit and get straight to the point. "It's a good mask Rei, but it cracks too easily sometimes." Rei's eyes widened. "Kai was worried, and finally seeing you like this, I am too." Rei glared at him. Tala sent it right back at him. "Don't be stupid. Kai told you everything, you should know that I'm the best person to talk to about this sort of thing. That is, if you want to talk."

"I'm not sure I do." The tiger's voice was chilly.

Tala shrugged. "It's your choice, but the offer still stands."

"I'm not an invalid and I'm not stupid. Why doesn't anyone believe me when I say it won't happen again?"

"Because we know that with one more incident you will break and nothing you say or whatever we can do will be able to stop you from trying to escape the pain and humiliation in whatever way you can." Tala looked furious and deadly as he spoke. "You're cracking already and if this happens again you'll completely slip over the edge and we can't help you then."

"What would you …" Rei trailed off as he suddenly remembered who he was talking to. "Oh … right …" Tala looked amused at Rei's fumbling. "Uh … sorry."

"I understand you anger, but you really have to do something before it's too late for us to help you. Do you really want to repeat the mistakes that have been made in the past?"

Rei inhaled sharply as Tala drew down the neck of his sweater jacket and saw the angry red scarring that marred the otherwise pale and unblemished skin. Tala's eyes glittered with intensity and pain. "Do you?" he repeated softly, coldly.

Rei shook his head. "I'm really trying to deal with everything, and Kai's helping me a lot. Even if something happened, I couldn't leave now. I promised Kai I would stay with him and be strong."

Tala smiled gently. "You were smarter than I was. Of course you are older, but that doesn't mean much." Rei laughed, the mood lightening. "Trusting in Kai is probably the best thing you could do. You need someone strong like him around to help. Whatever you think, he is always looking out for your best interests." Tala's eyes dimmed with sadness. "Even if you don't realise it or want to believe it, he does care deeply for you." Rei stared at him curiously before Tala shook himself away from whatever thoughts were haunting him. "Just remember I'm always here to talk to also. Unlike most people I do actually know what you're going through and can help."

Rei laughed. "You sound like a shrink."

"I know. I've actually started an undergraduate course in psychology. Hell, I've experienced so many different kinds of mental traumas and problems I should be a better at this than most people." Tala grinned. "Who better to help you than a person who's been there himself?"

Rei looked sceptically at him. "That may work in theory, but I'm not sure how well it'll do in practice. Wouldn't it frighten people away to know that their psychiatrist needed psychiatric help himself?"

Tala shrugged. "Well, we'll see how well I do. You'll be my second patient."

"Who was the first?"

Tala looked away from him, searching out someone in the crowd and finding him. His face softened slightly, but his eyes grew pained as he looked upon the falcon. Rei followed his gaze and nodded.

"Bryan."

"Yeah." As if hearing them, the pale haired boy looked up and coolly met their gaze. Tala looked back over at Rei. "I'll be off now. Just remember my offer."

"I will, and thanks Tala." Tala smiled over his shoulder before returning to his curious teammates.

_Maybe I'll take him up on that offer, but not yet. I still want to prove I can deal with things myself if need be._ Rei smiled and walked away from the table himself.

***

Throughout the night, Mariah had attempted to corner him three times. The first time he managed to escape when Lee came over to ask if they'd seen Michael. The second time had been a close one. Luckily Tala had glanced over and seen Mariah leaning in close to Rei and the tiger struggling to move away. He'd rushed over there, ignored Mariah furious glare and told Rei that Kai had been looking for him and it had been really urgent.

Rei flashed a smile at Tala before walking off, hearing Mariah's snarl of annoyance. _I guess I do need a bit more help than I thought. I never realised how persistent Mariah could be._ He walked past Tala and his team as he went in search of Kai and didn't notice Bryan's curious stare.

_What's going on here?_ The falcon wondered curiously, his eyes narrowing.

The third time the girl cornered him was (surprise, surprise) in a bathroom.

"Rei?" The startled tiger looked up from washing his hands as he heard that voice. He saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked furious. "You've been avoiding me all night."

"Mariah, this is the male bathroom."

"Hasn't stopped me before." Quick as a flash she was on him, pressing him up against the wall and nipping at his neck.

"Mariah! Get off me!" Rei was furious. He pushed her away hard. "Don't you get I'm not interested." He glared, his pupils slitting dangerously and his face glowering.

"I don't care if you're not interested. I get what I want Rei."

"Didn't you already get enough taking advantage of me last time?" Rei moved away from the wall and over to the door. He cried out sharply as those claw-like nails dug into his arm again. He turned around sharply and growled at her. "I don't want to hurt you Mariah. Let go of me before I'm forced to make you."

Mariah smirked and reached into her pink purse to draw out an object that made Rei's eyes widen in shock and fear. "I don't think you'll be doing anything to me, unless it's what I want you to do."

"What's with you Mariah?" Rei's eyes never left the sharp blade of the knife glinting in the fluorescent lights of the room. "Why do you want to do this to me?"

"Because I love you Rei and I want you."

"Love?" Rei glared at her. "This isn't love, this is obsession and it's gone on far too long." Rei pulled his arm away, ignoring Mariah's hiss of anger. She was still in front of the door. "Even if you weren't like this, I wouldn't love you how you wanted to be loved Mariah. I couldn't love you like that. I'm gay."

"No." Mariah glared at him. "You liar, you couldn't be."

"I am, and I'm in love with someone already."

"Who? Kai?" She laughed. "I'll bet he's forcing you into something. He's sick and twisted." Mariah stopped talking suddenly as Rei slapped her.

"Don't you dare say thinks like that about my captain," he whispered in a deadly voice.

Mariah glared. "That was a mistake Rei. Don't think you won't regret it." She put the knife away and stormed out of the bathroom. Rei let out a sigh of relief and leaned against a basin, not hearing the door open again and another person walk in.

"Rei, are you all right?" Rei jumped as he heard Kai's voice so close to his ear.

"Fuck Kai, did you have to do that?" Rei shook his head and took a deep breath. "You have a very unique ability to scare the shit out of me."

"Sorry." Kai looked a bit embarrassed. "I was worried. I saw Mariah come out of here and I got worried seeing as it's a boy's bathroom."

"Yeah, don't worry, nothing happened, but I am getting a bit freaked out. She seems to have a thing with bathrooms, doesn't she? I guess I'll just have to watch out every time I need to take a piss." Kai laughed, feeling relieved that Rei was all right. "Hey, how are Tyson and the others?"

Kai groaned. "Don't ask. Tyson managed to sneak god knows how many drinks while I wasn't watching and Max got almost as many. Kenny's looking after them, but he's kind of smashed himself. Seriously though, who was the idiot that made alcoholic drinks free for all at this party?"

Rei shrugged. "Maybe they thought we were sensible enough to know if we could handle the drinks. Most of us are old enough and mature enough." He shook his head. "That was stupid, considering our team."

"Yeah. I've let their parents know. At least they were smart enough to realise I couldn't have watched both of them all the time. And it wasn't my fault they went straight for the hard liquor. I mean they could have started with the wine or a weak scotch and cola, but no, they went straight for the tequila and whisky shots." He snorted. "I'm surprised they haven't gotten sick already." Kai sighed and pulled out something from his pocket. Rei watched with wide eyes as he lit up a cigarette. Before he could put it to his lips however, Rei snatched it out of his hand and flushed it down a toilet.

"Hey!" Kai glared at Rei, but found the tiger was glowering with an intensity that he wasn't sure he could achieve right now.

"You smoke?"

"Only when I get stressed."

"Not any more." Rei glared at him and Kai shrugged his shoulders.

"I never liked the habit anyway." Kai smirked. "Guess I'll need another stress reliever then."

Rei flushed slightly before smirking at him. "I'm sure we can come up with something."

Kai coughed and started to turn red as sudden mental images popped into his head. "Are you all right Kai? Something seems to be bothering you. Let's see if we can't find something to replace your cigarettes right now." Rei moved in closer to him with a smirk.

Kai made a small squeaking noise and backed slowly away. "Uh, maybe some other time," he suggested nervously.

Rei shrugged and backed away. "Whatever, maybe later then." Rei winked at him and moved out of the bathroom. Kai stared at the door as he left and let out a loud breath.

"Fuck me," he whispered and almost ran out of the room after Rei.

***

For the rest of the night Rei continued to flirt with Kai, hardly leaving his side and Kai was enjoying every minute of it. However it wasn't until one time that he walked back over to Rei with a glass of champagne in his hand for each of them that something rather interesting happened. He reached out with his free hand and gently brushed Rei's side in greeting, smiling widely as he saw the neko-jin squirm slightly.

"Liar," Kai whispered softly in his ear as he passed a glass to him.

"What do you mean?" Rei inquired innocently as he took a small sip of the bubbly.

"You said you weren't ticklish." Kai smirked as Rei took another sip to hide his slight blush. The other bladers they were talking with didn't seem to notice their quiet conversation. "I'll have to get you back for that later."

"I can't wait," Rei breathed with a sly grin.

Kai couldn't take it any more. He completely drained his glass. "Excuse us, but we have something to do in the morning and I didn't realise the time." He nodded good-byes to everyone he was talking to. "Rei, we have to go now."

"What about the others?" Rei looked over at the door leading to a small meeting room where the two drunk Bladebreakers and Kenny were. "Are we leaving them here?"

"Tyson's father promised me he'd look after them. I think we can trust him to look after his son and his friends, don't you?"

Rei nodded finally picking up on why Kai wanted to leave. He smirked. "Right. So it'll be just us back at the hotel then."

"Yeah, we won't have Tyson keeping us up until all hours of the night."

"You could do that all yourself," Rei murmured softly so that only his captain could hear. The phoenix flushed and cleared his throat nervously. Rei smiled at everyone else. "I guess we should be off then."

There were a round of handshakes with Oliver, Enrique, Kevin, Steve and Tala. Bryan just nodded in their direction.

"Oh, I wouldn't go that way," Tala warned as they decided to go the back way.

"Why not?" Kai asked curiously.

"The lion went to play out the back with his pet birdie." Kai's eyes widened and he looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh. "Guess he finished played and decided to finally eat his meal."

Rei goggled as he realised what the two of them were talking about. He laughed. "No way"

Tala nodded. "I was a bit surprised myself, but it seems that persistency is a trait among good bladers." He smirked at Rei and the neko-jin winked at him. "A very common trait indeed," he murmured. Bryan looked at him curiously then over at the smiling Rei and the slightly embarrassed Kai. His eyes widened in realisation.

_So that's what's going on._

***

Rei tugged off his sash and overshirt as he entered the bedroom.

"This may look good, but it gets so hot and uncomfortable."

"I can imagine." Kai closed the door and removed his own jacket, boots and gloves.

"So," Rei looked up at him as he unlaced his undershirt a bit. "What were you planning to do now?" Kai reached over and pulled something from is jacket. Rei's eyes widened. "Are you serious? How did you manage to get that?"

Kai shrugged and sat down on the floor, leaning against the bed and gesturing for Rei to join him, which the tiger did. "It was free anyway and everyone was so busy thinking I was trying to give alcohol back to the waiters that they took no notice when I grabbed this from the bar while I was putting back a bottle of scotch Tyson took."

Rei shook his head and chuckled. "So they didn't notice a rather large bottle of vodka missing from their stores?"

"Not yet anyway, and I'm not sure they will. There were a lot of drinks there tonight." He opened the bottle. "You up for it?"

Rei hesitated. "I've never actually had something this heavy before."

Kai shrugged. "It's okay, but you should try it at least once." He noticed that Rei still hesitated. "You don't have to, but I didn't want to drink it all myself without offering you any." He took a quick swig of the bottle, wincing slightly as the liquid burned down his throat.

Rei shrugged his shoulders. "Why not," he muttered and took the bottle from Kai.

"Uh, I should warn you, you should only drink a little at a time, it kind of burns." Rei's eyes widened as he took a small sip and he spat the drink out.

"That's disgusting!"

Kai shrugged. "I guess it's an acquired taste. It's unsettling the first time, but you get used to it." He took another swig and held out the bottle for Rei. Rei frowned then took it. "Just remember, small sips."

Rei nodded and took a really small sip, which he swallowed immediately. He gasped and winced as the liquid made its way down his throat. "Fuck," he gasped once it hit his stomach.

Kai grinned. "It was so worth it to see your expression."

"When did you start drinking this stuff?"

"I was about thirteen. I didn't hang with the best of people when I was younger. That's when I started smoking as well. But it was never that serious a habit."

Rei's eyes widened with the revelations. "Wow, that's kind of young."

"I know. Why do you think I tried to warn Tyson and Max away from the drinks?" Kai took a drink. "Guess they'll learn the hard way then."

"Like you did?" Rei smirked.

"You wouldn't believe how trashed I got. And the headaches the next day weren't something I enjoyed, but I still did it anyway."

"Why?"

"Because I could."

"Oh." Rei took a drink.

***

Rei laughed and fell back against the bed. "You're not serious?" he gasped, trying to stop laughing but found that the effect of the substantial amount of alcohol he'd drank had taken effect.

Kai made a half-hearted attempt at a glare but gave up and nodded. "I'm completely serious. My grandfather nearly caught us. Tala was probably in the most uncomfortable position. There's not much room down the side of my bed. Not to mention he nearly gave us away by laughing so much. Voltaire looked like he was about to investigate just what was making the sheets move so much when Boris walked past and called him away for some urgent business."

Rei laughed again. "What happened then?"

Kai smirked. "What do you think? Tala got back up and we finished what we started. That little incident had us amused for most of the week."

"Until something worse happened?"

Kai grinned. "How'd you ever guess?"

"I'm psychic, didn't I tell you?" Kai tried to hold in his laughter but couldn't. Rei pouted. "I am too, I'll prove it. I'll read your fortune."

Kai smirked and moved over to sit in front of Rei, stumbling only slightly. "All right then." He held out his hand and Rei took it in his own soft hand. Kai shivered slightly at the touch and stared at Rei. But the tiger was focused on his hand and didn't noticed the hungry look pass over the phoenix's features.

"Hmm," Rei murmured, his voice slightly slurred. "I think I see something already."

"What is it?" Kai grinned, playing along. He wasn't as drunk as Rei, having a rather high alcohol tolerance.

Rei grinned up at him. "I see a tall, dark and handsome man in your life."

"Oh?" Kai raised an eyebrow and leaned in with a smile. "And who is this mystery man?"

Rei smirked and leaned in as well. "Someone close to you."

"Really."

"Yeah. Someone special, very special."

"That's nice." Kai smiled. "So what happens with this man?"

Rei smiled and leaned in so close that Kai could feel his breath on his lips. "You're smart, I'm sure you can figure it out." Rei drew back slightly, but Kai grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him forwards so he could bring their lips together in a passionate kiss.

__

AN: XD !!! Well, I hop everyone enjoyed that little cliffie.


	10. The Follies of Love

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I'm so sorry for the lack of an update for so long (well, it's not that long, but it is to me). But trust me, you will not want to miss this chapter. For more reasons than one. ;D

WARNINGS: Uh, well, I don't want to ruin anything, but I have to do this. Let's see, how shall I phrase this? Uh … sexual situations in this chapter. You'll find out as you read, so just read and enjoy.

****

The Follies of Love

Kai reveled in the gentle tingle that was sent through his spine as he brushed lightly up against the tanned skin of the figure lying beneath him. He pressed his lips forcefully against that lean neck and trailed his tongue down the silky skin, smirking slightly as he felt the body beneath him shiver.

Slowly, tauntingly, he trailed the tips of his lean fingers down his prey's sides, delighting in the shivers he caused to course through that desirable body. He moved slightly, eliciting a groan from the beautiful boy beneath him.

"Kai," he breathed and closed his eyes in ecstasy as Kai continued to move, causing more moans as the friction between them increased. 

Their body heat began to rise and they began to pant for air. Kai could feel a pressure building up inside of him.

He clamped his lips down furiously on his lovers' with a fierce passion he returned. He moved faster, feeling himself spiraling into rapture. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep 

"Oh gods, Rei," he cried hoarsely.

He opened his eyes and started from his sleep.

Kai looked around, finding himself sitting fully clothed leaning against the wall. "Fuck," he muttered, holding his head in his hands. He didn't know if he was disappointed or glad that he was dreaming. He looked up over at the bed and his breath froze as he saw the half-naked figure sprawled over the covers.

"What the fuck happened last night?" he asked himself, looking down. He grimaced. "Not enough apparently." He frowned. "Or maybe too much."

Mornings were usual a bit confusing for him, especially seeing the empty vodka bottle at the end of the bed.

Kai frowned again and looked over at Rei again. "I remember drinking with Rei, then ..." his eyes widened and Kai tenderly touched a hand to his lips. "Gods, I kissed him." He looked up. "I think he fell asleep and I wanted to watch over him during the night."

Kai ran his fingers frustratedly through his hair. "Urgh! I hate this! Why the hell do I always fall for someone I can't have?" He got up, sighing, and made his way to the bathroom, looking at the clock as he passed. "Hmm, six am. No one will be up yet and I think Rei will be passed out for a while." Kai entered the bathroom and looked down.

"Shit," he muttered as he noticed the problem he seemed to be having. "This is why I don't wear tight pants." His eyes widened as he remembered something Rei had said to him the night before then blushed slightly. "Although if _Rei_ asked me to ..." he trailed off, thinking about his desirable raven haired teammate, remembering the dream he'd just woken from.

Kai groaned softly. Even just thinking about him now made him want the tiger more. He moved over to the toilet and unzipped his pants and growled, "Fuck, I hate doing this," he muttered darkly. Quickly and methodically he began to stroke himself, his face slightly pained, as if this were a chore he didn't particularly like.

Despite his concentration, his mind began to wander as the pressure inside him built up and he began reliving the dream that had woken him so sharply this morning.

"Fuck," he breathed, not able to control his thoughts as his hand moved faster. "Gods, Rei." Kai shuddered and gasped as he ejaculated. He panted slightly, trying to calm his body down. He flushed the toilet and moved over to the vanity to clean his hands.

He looked into the mirror as he did so and had to turn away.

_What kind of person am I? He's a teammate, a friend and I …_ Kai shook his head, trying to rid himself of his thoughts.

"I can't do this. I can't be with him."

Kai turned off the water and dried his hands. He walked back into the room and grabbed his clothes, not looking at the bed despite how much he wanted to, and went to take a shower.

"I just can't," he whispered as the hot water washed over him, helping him to think and relive his stress. "It wouldn't be right."

***

Rei stirred slightly as he felt light stabbing at his eyes.

"Ungh," he moaned and turned over, resenting that someone opened the blinds and let sunlight wake him.

It wasn't going to work, he was going to have to get up.

Of course his head might have had a problem with that.

"Ow!" He winced as he opened his eyes and sat up slowly. Rei felt as though he had a herd of elephants running amok in his head. He slowly reopened his eyes, wincing sharply every few seconds. He looked around slowly, noticing after a while of scanning the room that he was the only one in it.

_Where's Kai?_ He couldn't hear the shower running in the other room either. He shrugged and was about to get up when he noticed something on the bedside table.

A note and two tablets beside a glass of water.

_You'll be needing this. Gone to a meeting. Kai._

Rei smiled and took the headache tablets with the water. _How typical of him._ Rei got up and moved over to the wardrobe once his headache had subsided somewhat. He yawned as he pulled out an outfit for the day then moved into the bathroom.

Rei was feeling a bit strange as he turned on the water for the shower and undressed. It was almost as though he were missing something, or he was forgetting about something.

_Something I did at the party maybe? What if it was embarrassing? No, I think I'd remember feeling embarrassment at least. What else could it be though?_

Rei continued to ponder on his strange feelings as he washed himself slowly. A frown creased his face. _I don't feel that strange, it's more of a happy feeling, like something good happened. But what? Argh! This is annoying me!_ Rei put a hand to his head and groaned.

Suddenly he stooped and stared at his hand.

"Palm reading?" Rei frowned in concentration and suddenly his eyes opened wide and he let out a gasped yell.

"Holy Fuck! Kai kissed me!"

***

Kai was sitting in the meeting room, waiting for the other captains to arrive for the meeting on the exhibition singles matches. Lee and Michael were the only ones not there, being 'missing'. Tala and Robert were conversing quietly, avoiding Kai, since he obviously had something on his mind.

"We're just going to go outside and wait for the others," Tala informed him after a while, getting a bit worried about the missing captains of the All-Stars and the White Tigers.

Kai shrugged, barely registering him saying anything. Tala looked at him concernedly before turning to Robert and gesturing they go outside.

Kai sighed as he heard the door close.

"Why so glum?"

Kai turned his head at the sound of the voice. He got up and stared.

"Rei, what are you doing here?"

Rei shrugged moving slowly towards him. "I felt like being here. I needed to see you."

"About what?"

"This." Rei pounced at him and clamped his lips down on Kai's, pulling the taller boy close to him. Kai stared at him in surprise before eagerly responding to the kiss. He groaned into Rei's mouth as the tiger began running his hands down Kai's sides to his waistline.

"Rei," Kai moaned into his mouth, trying to pull away slightly. "What are you doing?" he asked between passionate kisses.

"What does it feel like I'm doing?" Kai frowned slight in confusion before his eyes opened wide. Rei smiled at his distress. "You don't like it?" he pouted.

"No," Kai gasped. "I love it."

"Good." Rei pushed Kai against the meeting table and dropped to his knees. "Because now it's getting better." Rei grinned and Kai son fell into a pool of rapture.

"Kai?"

Kai snapped awake as someone prodded him. "What?"

Tala looked at him in concern. "Are you all right? I've never seen you sleep during the day like this."

Kai looked around and noticed everyone at the table staring at him amazedly. He blushed slightly, embarrassed that while waiting for Mr. Dickinson he'd fallen asleep. "I'm fine," he muttered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I didn't get enough sleep last night." Kai blushed slightly as he remembered his dream from last night and the short fantasy he'd just had.

Tala smirked. "Ah, I see." Kai glared at him, but Tala ignored him and smirked in Lee's direction. The White Tiger's leader smiled back at him. "So, just what exactly did you get up to last night after you left, Kai?" Tala asked curiously, aware that the other three captains were listening in also. Mr. Dickinson still hadn't arrived and they were a bit bored with their previous conversations.

"Not much," Kai muttered, really not wanting to talk about things.

"Really?" Tala shrugged. "That wasn't how I saw things."

"Really, it wasn't much. Just me, Rei and a bottle of vodka."

Michael choked on a laugh. Kai glared at him then at Lee who was snickering behind his hand. "It's not as bad as it sounds, unlike what I could mention about you two." Kai smirked in satisfaction as he saw the two bladers blush furiously.

"Now, now, boys, there's no need for all that." The five at the table looked over to see that the elderly owner of the BBA had finally arrived. He smiled gently at them all. "I hope everyone enjoyed themselves last night." There were snickers and innocent nods all around the table. "Good," the old man chuckled, knowing more than what he was letting on. "No, as you know, the main part of the exhibition tournament will be the single player matches held in two days time." Mr. Dickinson sat down at the head of the meeting table. "What we've done is drawn names from hats to pair various people so that it was a completely random draw. One person from each team will face a person an another team, but no teams will face each other twice."

The five captains nodded at his words.

"I have here the order list for the matches." He handed out five sheets of paper. Kai took his and scanned down the page.

**__**

Single Player Exhibition Matches

1. Tyson (bb) vs. Robert (m)

2. Lee (wt) vs. Michael (as) 

3. Johnny (m) vs. Bryan (db)

4. Max (bb) vs. Emily (as)

5. Spencer (db) vs. Gary (wt)

6. Enrique (m) vs. Steve (as)

7. Kai (bb) vs. Tala (db)

8. Oliver (m) vs. Kevin (wt)

9. Ian (db) vs. Eddy(as)

10. Rei (bb) vs. Mariah (wt)

"Hey Kai, we'll be facing each other." Tala smiled over at Kai, but the blue-haired captain wasn't listening, he was staring fixatedly at the page before him. Tala leaned in as discussions sprung up around the table with the others. "Kai?" he whispered worriedly.

"Did you see the last match?" Kai asked.

Tala looked down at the page and frowned. "Damn."

"Yeah. I'm not sure if he'd be ready for that yet."

"Well we can't do much about it. It was a random draw, we can't ask to change things around, not without spilling about Rei."

"I know." Kai rubbed at his right temple. "I know. I only hope he'll be ready by then."

"You're doing a great job already." Tala smiled, oblivious to Kai's sudden stillness. "Seriously, getting back on track with a relationship with you is probably the best thing for him."

"I'm not in a relationship with him."

"What?" Tala looked confused. "I thought …"

"You assumed. You should never assume anything about me, especially not concerning my relationships with people."

Tala glared, his fury radiating from him in cold waves. "No, I shouldn't. But then, I guess even learning that the hard way it never sunk in. Perhaps I have a higher opinion of you than I ought to Kai." Not caring what the others thought, Tala got up angrily and left the meeting.

The other four in the room stared at Kai.

"I'm leaving too. I have things to attend to. Was that all you needed me for sir?" Mr. Dickinson nodded, a bit confused as to what just happened. "Thank you sir." Kai nodded to each of them and left.

"Does anyone else feel like they're missing out on something?" Robert asked curiously.

***

Rei got up immediately off the couch and answered the door as soon as he heard knocking. _Finally, something to keep me occupied._ He hated to admit it, but the quality of television shows had really gone downhill.

"Kai?" Rei opened the door wide and let the boy through. Kai walked past him without a greeting. Rei watched him with a frown. _Something must be wrong._ "Kai? Are you all right? Did the meeting end?"

Kai shrugged heading straight to their room.

Rei followed him. "Tyson and the others are going to be back soon." Rei chuckled. "I talked to Tyson on the phone, I don't think he'll be drinking again any time soon."

"Great." Kai rummaged around in his bag for something.

Rei looked around then closed the door nervously then he walked over to his captain. "All right Kai, something's up and I want to know what it is."

"Fuck off Rei."

Rei took a step back as Kai glared coldly at him. His eyes opened wide as Kai pushed past him into the bathroom. Then they narrowed again. He turned and growled, his eyes slitting and opened the door straight after Kai slammed it shut.

"Do you mind?" Kai demanded angrily.

"Yes, I do mind. What the hell is wrong?" Rei glared coldly at Kai.

"Nothing. Leave." Kai pointed at the door.

"No." Rei frowned. "What happened? Last night you seemed so happy. You'd been changing, and now, you're even worse then how you were before. What happened?"

Kai hesitated slightly and Rei's looked at him hopefully, but his expression fell as Kai's face closed over and he continued to glare at him. "Nothing happened, now I told you to leave." Kai grabbed Rei's arm, but Rei growled and he let go.

"Fucking tell me Kai!"

Kai grew furious. "Fine, you're my problem!" he yelled.

Rei took a step back at the words. "What?"

Kai looked shocked that he'd actually said anything. He tried to say something, but he just turned his head away.

"You … what did you … you didn't mean that did you?"

Kai tried to reassure Rei, but he stopped. He couldn't lie, not to Rei. "I'm sorry Rei."

"Was it …?" Rei swallowed, backing away slightly, feeling very nervous. "The kiss, last night?"

Kai nodded, still refusing to meet Rei's eyes.

"Oh gods," Rei breathed. He felt tears pricking at his eyes. "But you … I thought you wanted … I … you responded to everything. I thought …" he swallowed nervously.

Kai looked up. "You should never assume anything about me Rei."

His tone was so cold and uncaring that Rei pushed back his tears and snapped. "You fucking kissed me! What did you think you were doing? Playing with me? You sick fuck! You know what's happened to me and you decided just to play with my feelings like that?"

Kai moved over t him, "No, Rei, I didn't, it was—"

"Shut up!" Rei glared at him and moved away. "How fucking dare you? You know I like you, and you played along. I flirted, you responded. I thought you actually cared about me. You told me about everything and I told you about myself. Fuck! I trusted you Kai, I let you in and you're just throwing all that back in my face?" Rei couldn't stop the tears falling now. "Were you just playing with me, or did you actually want me?"

Kai stared at him with a pained expression. "I can't do this Rei," he said softly, hating the agonised expression on Rei's face.

Rei walked up to him and landed a right cross on Kai's jaw. "You fucking bastard," he spat, tears streaming down his cheeks. He turned away and ran out of the bathroom.

Kai watched him leave before he allowed his cold mask to slip.

"Oh, gods Rei." Kai started trembling as he whispered brokenly and clung to the edge of the vanity, barely able to hold himself up.

"It was all for the best," he whispered in a choking voice, feeling a stinging in his eyes. "I couldn't be with him, it wouldn't be right, I'd only hurt him." 

Kai felt a small splash of water hit his hand before he broke down completely, like he hadn't since he was a child. His legs collapsed from under him and he let go of the vanity to fall to the floor. He curled up into a ball, clutching his knees tightly to his chest and sobbed in anguish as he recalled how Rei's face had looked as he'd broken his heart.

__

I'm such a cold fucking bastard.

AN: Uh … yeah ^_^;; Sorry 'bout all that. The pressure of school and all … you're probably not going to buy that so I'm going to run now. Bye!


	11. Sorting Things Out

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WOOHOO!!!!! 111 REVIEWS AT LAST CHECK!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!! *hands out Kai flavoured lollipops* yes I did say Kai flavoured, it's my favourite. ;D Anyways, last chapter I got so many reviews. I know, it was very evil of me to do that to you all, but trust me, this will make it all worth your while. … wait a second … 22 REVIEWS FOR ONE CHAPTER! I REALLY DO LOVE YOU GUYS!!!! There is something very special for you all at the end of this chappie *big grin*. Enjoy.

Oh, and to all of you who thought Rei would go back to Mariah … even I am not that evil. And thank you for the peace offering KuriQuinn, I really do like sugar.

I shall leave you now to enjoy the fic.

****

Sorting Things Out

Bryan had watched his captain with curiosity and concern in his eyes ever since he'd come back from the meeting with the other captains. Tala hadn't stopped pacing and muttering darkly since then and Bryan wondered if it was indeed possible to wear a hole in the carpet if it was kept up for so long. He thought he could already see wooden floorboards.

"Tala," he tried futilely. The redhead didn't even look up from his cursing to glance in his direction. Bryan sighed and settled back to watch him continue pacing.

_I know this has something to do with Kai. I heard Tala mutter his name. He must have pissed him off a lot this time._ Bryan growled suddenly, his eyes narrowing and darkening. _I swear if he's hurt him, I'll kill him, no matter how hard that may be._

Tala, contrary to his teammate's belief, actually heard the feral sound that emerged from his throat and glanced up startled at it. _I guess I've worried him. Hmm, Bryan does care about us more than he lets on, but then, I always knew that._

There was a quick knock at the door that drew both their attention away from each other. "I'll get it," Tala offered. Bryan shrugged. Tala was already on his feet and moving over there.

Tala opened the door, curious as to who would be calling over. Who he found on the hotel room doorstep stunned him.

"Rei?"

The neko-jin looked close to tears, but he still managed to fidget nervously under his icy gaze. "I ... I know you may have other things to do ... but ... I was wondering if you maybe had a bit of time to help me out with something?"

Tala stared at the boy before him, shocked at the vulnerable stutter in his voice. _Gods, what the fuck happened to him to make him like this?_ Tala's eyes widened as he suddenly thought of something. _Gods no, he couldn't. Not even Kai could do something like this, could he?_ Tala's eyes turned cold when he realised that Kai could indeed reduce a person who cared about him to this state. _Must be something he inherited from his grandfather._

Rei waited nervously for a reply, unaware of the thoughts rushing through the wolf's mind as he took in the shocking appearance of the haggard tiger on his doorstep. _Maybe this wasn't the best idea._ "Maybe I shouldn't have come," he whispered in a tiny voice, tears once again threatening to spill over.

Tala shook himself from his thoughts as he heard the miserable resignation in Rei's voice. "No, no come in. I told you I'd be here to talk whenever you needed it." Tala smiled gently at Rei and he couldn't tae it any more. Rei completely broke down. He grabbed onto Tala tightly and sobbed onto his shirt, oblivious to the amazed stare of his comforter.

Bryan raced around to the door, trying to see what was going on and stopped, stunned at the sight of Rei clinging like a lost child to his stoic captain, who himself looked just as lost and upset.

"Could you put on some coffee, Bryan," Tala asked, gently taking Rei into his arms and leading him inside. "We'll be needing it."

Bryan nodded, knowing that Tala needed time to deal with the stricken tiger. _I know Kai's behind this one too. Fucking bastard. I'll bet he has no idea how badly he can hurt a person with just a single word, or even without words._ Bryan shook his head, trying to rid himself of his furious thoughts, but it didn't seem to be working very well. He quickly set the water to boil and set everything up for their drinks then stood in the doorway between the sitting room and the mini kitchenette in their front room.

Tala had led Rei to one of the couches and sat with the raven-haired boy next to him, leaning on his shoulder, still sobbing rather violently. Tala caught Bryan's eye and sighed sadly. There was no doubt that this was all because of Kai and his heartlessness. He held Rei tighter to him and let the boy continue to cry his sorrows out before talking.

***

Kai still leaned against the wall in the hotel bathroom.

_I fucked up so badly, how could I do that to him?_ Kai would have sobbed more, but he'd completely cried himself out. Now he was only left with that dreadful hollow feeling in his heart. _And it's no less than I deserve. I deserve more. Tyson was right, he always has been, I'm a bastard. Rei was the only one who never believed that of me and I thought that I could live up to his expectations, but this only proves that I'm more like my grandfather than I'd hoped._

Kai shuddered at the thought and held his head in his hands.

Suddenly, he heard the door to the sitting room slam open and three familiar chattering voices carry through to the bathroom. He got up as Tyson called out, "Kai? Rei? You guys still here?"

Kai sighed and turned on the water, splashing his face to cover up the fact that he'd been crying. He looked at himself in the mirror and coldly inspected his appearance. He picked up his comb and quickly ran it through his hair a few times and breathed in deeply, making sure all his masks were back in place before opening the door to the bathroom then to the sitting room and going to face the rest of his team.

"Hey Kai." Max greeted him cheerfully. 

Kai smirked at them. "How are your heads?" Tyson glared at him and Max blushed slightly. Kenny didn't even bother responding, trying as hard as he could to forget about the previous night. Kai had no sympathy for them whatsoever. "I did warn you," he said in his perfected 'I told you so' voice.

"Oh, like you've never done something that stupid," Tyson shot back at him.

"Oh but I have, which is why you should have listened to me instead of acting as stupidly as you did."

Tyson glared at him again, but he gave up when Max nodded at Kai's statements. He sighed. "Fine, we won't be doing that again."

"You better believe it," Kai muttered. 

Max smiled sheepishly. "I guess we should have listened to you."

"Yeah. Look, I'm going out for a bit, do what you want."

Tyson looked a bit surprised. "Shouldn't we be training for the individual exhibition matches?"

Kai stared at him, as if wondering what the hell he was talking about. _Woah,_ Tyson thought. _This is something different. When has Kai ever forgotten about something that important, especially when it relates to beyblading? Something is definitely up with him._

Kai shook himself and nodded. "Yeah. Tomorrow is training non-stop. I've got the match list." Kai walked back into his room and grabbed the piece of paper before coming back out. "Tyson, you're up against Robert and Max you're with Emily."

They nodded and took a look at the rest of the matches. Max grinned. "Hey look, Rei's against Mariah. That'll be an interesting match."

"Yeah, and check out who you're up against Kai. Tala. Man, that'll definitely be a tough battle. He's good."

"I know, but I'm prepared. If you go anywhere make sure to leave a note or something. I don't know how long I'll be gone." Kai walked over to the door but was stopped by another of Tyson's questions.

"Hey, wait, where's Rei?"

"Rei?" Kai stiffened slightly and paused in his walk. "He's ... out somewhere. I think with the White Tigers. He didn't say." Kai let out a breath and opened the door. "Don't wait up." He closed the door quickly behind him, oblivious to the stares of his confused and concerned teammates behind him.

"What was that about?" Max asked curiously, turning back to the match list.

"I don't know Maxie." Tyson stared at the door with slightly narrowed eyes. _But I want to find out. Something's up with Kai and I'm really starting to worry. Not to mention Rei. I'm worried about both of them. What are they hiding from us?_

***

Tala listened in shock as Rei retold the events just prior to coming over to see him. Bryan sat on the other couch, listening in, but trying not to intrude in any way, even by making the slightest sound. Which was rather hard as his anger towards Kai continued growing as Rei spilled out his anguished tale.

"And then I hit him called him a fucking bastard and left," Rei finished. He looked up at Tala from his position of lying against his shoulder. "Gods, I can't believe I punched him, but then, I can't believe that he could be that cold. Even before he was never like that. What the hell could he have been thinking or feeling to act like that?" Rei sat up and sighed. "I really thought that he returned my feelings, after all, he did flirt back last night. I just don't understand what's going on with him. I know that everyone thinks he's this mean untouchable bastard, but I don't. He's not like that once you manage to break down his barriers. He let me in before, so why is he pushing me away now?" He curled up closer to Tala. "What if I was imagining everything?"

"You weren't," Tala assured him firmly. "You did get through to him and you're the only one I know who's gotten this close to him before, including me. He trusts you."

"S whay is he pushing me away?" Rei interrupted with a frustrated snarl. "I don't get it. Why doesn't he want me? I thought he felt the same … he kissed me, so what else was I supposed to think?"

Tala opened his mouth to reassure Rei once again, a bit tired himself of the repetitive cycle that Rei put him through, but he stopped when he noticed the strange look Rei was giving him. "What is it? Did you think of something that could make him act this way?"

Rei continued staring consideringly at Tala, the sudden thought that popped into his head running around and allowing him no respite. "What if he's still in love with someone else?" he whispered, hoping it not to be true.

Tala laughed, despite the look on Rei's face. "That's preposterous. Who on earth could Kai still be in love with?" Tala stopped laughing as he saw that Rei's serious expression didn't fade. His eyes widened suddenly as the tiger's insinuations finally clicked together in his mind. "No," he shook his head slowly. "It's not true."

"How can I know that?" Rei got up of the couch and backed away from Tala, tears threatening to spill again. "I know you still love him, why couldn't he feel the same?"

"We said our goodbye, there's nothing between us."

"I don't know that." Rei continued to back away, even as Tala reached out towards him.

"Rei, no you can't believe that. Kai doesn't love me. He gave me up to have you."

"But he doesn't want me, so how do I know that you're telling me the truth?" Tala froze at this and Rei shook his head. "I shouldn't have come, I'll leave you now."

"Rei! Wait!" Tala tried to catch his arm before he could leave but failed. "Rei, you have to believe me there is nothing going on." But Rei ignored him and ran out of the room and down the stairs. 

Tala stared at the open door and at the neko-jin's swift departure before swearing. "Fuck!" He punched the wall, making Bryan jump. "Damn you Kai," he hissed darkly, grabbing his coat. "Go find Rei and see if you can talk some sense into him, or at least stop him from doing something stupid. I'm going to sort out my ex."

Bryan nodded and left a note by the phone for Ian and Spencer if they got back from their training early. "What should I say?"

"I don't know," Tala was halfway out the door. "Find some way to convince him to stay with you at least until I get back." Tala made his way out the door, oblivious to his teammate's confusion and distress.

"Kai's just goddamned lucky that he's not facing me right now. I've had enough of this shit." Bryan glared at the wall darkly before grabbing his own coat and slamming the door shut after he left.

***

The slate haired phoenix himself was wandering disconsolantly through the town mainstream areas. A few people stopped and stared as he passed, recognising him. A few brave souls approached him for an autograph and he barely thought about it as he quickly scribbled his name on a piece of paper for them. He did not even spare a thought for feeling disgusted at the way they would gush at him and smile in delight over a scrap piece of paper.

So of course, he was too caught up in his misery to notice as a familiar redhead sidled up to him and react before a punch was thrown his way.

Of course Tala's fist connecting with his face did spark a reaction out of him.

"What the fuck was that for?" he demanded, glaring, as he held his cheek. "That's twice today."

"So I heard," Tala told him coldly.

Kai stared at him in confusion then he paled as he finally realised where Rei had run off to earlier. "So you know."

"Yeah and by the gods I'm so pissed off with you right now."

"Why should you care about Rei?" Kai managed to grab Tala's fist before it connected this time. "Maybe we should take this somewhere more private. Pepople are starting to stare and wonder why the current championship winning captain is fighting with the former champion beyblade captain."

"Fine." Tala stalked off knowing that Kai was following him.

"So what exactly did Rei tell you?" Kai fell into step beside his old friend.

"Everything."

"Right." Kai nodded. "I thought as much. At least I don't have to tell you about that."

"You do still have a lot to spill however." Tala stopped talking and they walked in silence until they reached the park. Kai picked out a bench and Tala followed him and sat down.

"What do you want to know?"

"Why did you push him away? Not to sound selfish or anything, but why did you break up with me if you weren't in love with him?"

"Who said I wasn't?"

"Rei." Tala noticed the way Kai flinched guiltily. "He thinks that you're still in love with me. He came to that conclusion when he couldn't find any other way to figure out why you acted like you did." Tala laughed humourlessly. "I'm actually starting to consider that myself. So Kai, do you still love me?"

The spiteful tone to Tala's words struck a nerve in Kai. "I couldn't do that to him."

"Do what? Love him? Accept him? Be with him?" Tala glared. "Do you know how much you can hurt a person even without words?"

"Yes, I do know, which is why I didn't want Rei to get any closer."

"Why?"

"Because I'd only hurt him even more." Kai placed his head in his hands, groaning in anguish. "Gods Tala, I know how much I hurt you, I didn't want that to happen to anyone else. I never meant it to happen to you." Kai stared at him seriously. "I can't get into another relationship like that."

"We both knew it wouldn't last. I was just stupid enough to fall for you."

"That's not true. Under different circumstances —"

"But it wasn't under different circumstances," Tala interrupted him coldly. "But this one is. Don't fuck it up Kai. Rei's not me, he won't react the same, he isn't as easily deterred by your moods. He's more persistent and he's more loyal. He trusts you with everything he is and I know you do too. You don't get another chance like this."

"But I'll hurt him."

"Only if you intend to." Tala sighed and literally forced the next words from his mouth. "He loves you and I know you love him. You never loved me like that, that's why you didn't stay. The very fact that you're here, agonising over how you hurt him, tells me that."

Kai stared at his old love. "Tala … I … you're wrong. I did love you."

"Not like this." Tala steeled himself. "It was a nice fling, we had fun and we used each other to escape our troubles, but that isn't what a relationship has to be built on. That's why you broke up with me."

"And that's why I can't be with Rei. He's still vulnerable about everything that happened with Mariah."

"He's not a baby to be coddled. Rei's stronger than you're allowing him to be. Have faith in him."

"But what if I'm not strong enough to keep everything together?" Tala inhaled sharply as he finally came to the root of the problem. Kai continued on. "What if I screw things up again? What if he doesn't love me as much as I think?"

"I've heard all of this earlier." Kai looked up at the cold tone that Tala used. "And I'm quite sick of it. Seriously, you and Rei can be such whiners. What the fuck do you think this is? A story, some fantasy land where everything works out without either of you doing a thing? Take a fucking risk, you're the beyblade champions aren't you? Did you get this far without attempting anything, working hard and taking risks?"

"Don't lecture me Tala."

"Well it's about time someone smacked some sort of sense into your head. I can do that either literally or metaphorically. It's your choice." Tala cracked his knuckles threateningly, a clear indication of which he preferred.

Kai considered him. _He's right. Why the hell am I acting like such a child? Hell, even Tyson would have been able to make less of a mess with any relationship of his._ Kai grinned. "Sorry to disappoint, but I think I got the message."

"Darn," Tala muttered. "I was looking forward to punching you again."

Kai laughed at this. "Sorry for being such a …" he tried to think of a suitable euphemism for his actions, but couldn't find anything.

"Baby?" Tala suggested. Kai glared at him. "A cute baby though." Kai smirked.

"So where is Rei anyway?"

"Bryan should have caught up with him by now. I'll make sure he gets back to the hotel once I'm done having the same chat with him."

Kai nodded. "Sure. Thanks you Tala."

The redhead smiled. "Anytime my friend. Besides, this particular situation has given me a lot of needed experience for my psych courses."

"And here I thought you were experienced enough already." Tala glared at the jibe but smiled as Kai made his way back to his hotel. "I'll see you in two days."

Tala frowned and his eyes widened. _Two days? He's not thinking of …_ His thoughts were interrupted by Kai's laugh.

"You perve. I was talking about the tournament."

Tala blushed. "It was an honest mistake. And like you weren't really thinking about that. Remember, I know you Kai."

"That's right, you do." Kai smirked once more before walking out of the park, leaving Tala alone with his disjointed thoughts and relieved emotions.

***

Rei wiped away his tears and looked around finally after running around for so long. He froze, his hand halfway to his face and paled. _Where am I? _He turned back around and didn't recognise anything he saw.

"This isn't good," he muttered.

"Well, it wouldn't be if I hadn't been following you." Rei looked to his side as he heard that emotionless voice.

"Bryan?"

He smirked. "Perceptive aren't you kitty-cat." Rei growled at the nickname. "Look, if you want to get back on your own, it's no skin off my back." Bryan turned around and smiled as he immediately heard the neko-jin cry out.

"Wait."

Bryan turned back around and grinned. "Ah, so the kitty-cat does need my help." Rei glared at him and started walking beside him.

"You're a sadistic brute."

"I thought you knew that already." Rei shivered slightly as he recalled who had given him the wounds that still ached him at times.

"I guess, but I get the feeling that you didn't have much choice in that."

"You'd be wrong in that feeling. Everything I ever did was my own choice. I was merely influenced by Biovolt, not completely controlled." He grinned. "Which is probably what made me more dangerous." Rei stared at him wide-eyed. Bryan grinned and tried to reassure him. "Don't worry though, I wouldn't kill you now."

"Thanks," Rei murmured with a slight waver in his voice. "I feel so muc better now."

"Rei, I'm playing with you." Bryan smirked at Rei's glare. "You're so easy to toy with sometimes. Your naivete must get annoying."

"What do you mean?" Rei's tone was frosty.

"Don't you find it hard to be so gullible? Your emotions are so easily read on your face, it's too easy to deceive you and even unintentionally mislead you. You showed that earlier."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your little scuffle with Kai." Bryan snorted in disgust. "I'm amazed that the bastard could be so easy on someone and still reduce them to tears. You must be weaker than I thought."

"What?" Rei glared darkly at Bryan. "I'm not weak."

"Then why do you let something so small affect you so much? I thought that you were worthy of my respect when you managed to beat me at the World Tournament, but I guess I was wrong." Bryan shrugged. "Not that it matters much to me anymore. You're just another part of my past to get rid of. A bit of a shame really, there are so few people I hold respect for now."

"Like I'd want your respect," Rei sniffed, ignoring Bryan.

"You still keep demeaning yourself further with your childish actions. You may not care about my respect, but do you have any for yourself? Do you really believe this is behaviour fitting of a beyblade champion?" Bryan noticed Rei's stiff posture. He smirked again. "I thought so."

"Then what do you suggest I do about it?"

"What anyone would do. Work out your problems like a normal person rather than crying about it." Bryan shrugged. "You could do nothing, like what I'm doing with my aspirations, and get nowhere, but I wouldn't advise it. You're a fighter, no one who controls a tiger spirit could be anything else, so why don't you fight for what you want?"

Rei looked at him curiously. "Fight for Kai? Wouldn't that suggest I have something to fight against?"

"Yeah. Kai's insecurities, and your own. Don't let fear drag you down now, it never has before. That's what I respected most about you Rei, you stared death in the face and didn't flinch."

"You're right." Rei grinned and looked around. "And you got us back. He looked up and saw that they were in fact just in front of his own hotel building. He took a deep breath.

"It's now or never Rei, but it's your choice, no one elses."

Rei smiled. "Thanks. And I hope you take some of your own advice with your own venture." Bryan looked shocked for a second before he recovered his composure and grinned.

"Perhaps, but I'm patient, I know I've still got more to do before I can get what I want, but you don't need anything more than a prod in the right direction." He gave Rei a slight push towards the hotel entrance and grinned as the tiger laughed and glowered playfully at him. "Good luck to you Rei." He turned and left the tiger to make his way to his room alone.

When Bryan arrived back at the hotel room, it was to find the rest of the team already there. Ian and Spencer had brought back pizza and they were digging in while watching something on the television. Tala was sitting on the side couch, glancing up at them occasionally with a small smile. He was the first to notice Bryan's entrance and gestured him to sit by him on the couch, passing him a slice of pizza.

"So how did you go?" Tala asked curiously.

"About as well as you it seems. You don't seem as pissed off now." Bryan took a bite, ignoring the dirty look Tala sent him.

"I'm not. Things worked out perfectly for everyone then."

Bryan looked at his captain sideways. "Not as perfect as it could have for some of us." Tala looked at him curiously and he shrugged. "Perhaps I'm not the only one who still needs a bit of time." Tala continued to look confused at Bryan's words, unaware of the secretive smile playing on the falcon's face.

***

__

(AN: You know, I so wanted to end things there, but you guys have been so nice and patient that I decided to extend the chapter. So consider this your 100 review special. Enjoy this next part, actually I know you will. Here's a hint … I'm inserting a big **WARNING!!!!** So anyone who's not 17 … you shouldn't be reading this anyway. ;D )

***

Kai lay on the bed with his eyes closed, letting the heavy music wash over him and calm him slightly. Not that he really needed it any more. For once, he finally knew what he wanted and he knew that he could have it and there was really nothing stopping him from getting it.

Except for the object of his desire itself.

If Rei refused him now … no, he would cross that bridge if he came to it. IF. Of course, he did have to apologise, he knew that, but he hoped that Rei wasn't still as pissed at him.

He snorted. _Yeah right. I screwed up big time. I'm going to have to do a lot of groveling. Still, it'll be worth it._ Kai smiled and leaned back further into the soft pillows and allowed himself to doze lightly. There would be no one bugging him either until much later tonight. Tyson and the others had decided to go out just a few minutes before he got home and wouldn't be back before eleven at the earliest. He was thinking of postponing training for an hour just for that considerate action, but only an hour. He couldn't let them get to lazy and slack, what kind of captain would he be then?

The music was still up so loud that he didn't hear the hotel door open, nor the door to the room. He was still caught up in his half doze and his thoughts that he didn't even notice when someone sat down beside him. However, when that someone straddled him, his eyes shot open and, surprisingly, he saw Rei smiling seductively, hovering just above him.

"Rei, what …?" he trailed off as Rei placed a gentle finger on his lips and leaned down.

"Don't talk, don't apologise, don't do anything, just let me do this." Rei removed his finger and replaced it with his soft lips, pressing down gently. Kai stared at him in shock before eagerly pressing back, his eyes slowly sliding closed. He reached up slowly, as if afraid this was yet another fantasy, to gently pull Rei's head down, deepening the gentle kiss.

Rei opened his mouth slightly and maneuvered Kai's lips open to hesitantly taste inside his cavity. Kai responded immediately by pulling Rei closer and brushing his own tongue against Rei's causing the boy above him to moan, which in turn sent shivers through his body.

"Gods Rei," he whispered, pulling away slightly to plant soft lingering kisses down Rei's jaw. The neko-jin arched his neck back and moaned in pleasure at Kai's actions. "I thought you wouldn't want to."

Rei smiled down at him. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who seemed most reluctant to pursue anything." He grinned as Kai blushed slightly. "I assume that you have changed your tune?"

Kai answered by grabbing him and pulling him down for another kiss. "We'll talk later," he breathed in Rei's ear after pulling away. Then he sucked on the slight protrusion of his jaw just below Rei's ear, eliciting a strong reaction in the boy above him.

"Gods Kai!" Rei pushed down against him and grabbed his shoulders. He pulled away and latched himself onto Kai's mouth again, his hands gently roaming down Kai's chest. Kai pulled Rei to lay completely on top of him so that they pushed against each other in their desire. Kai grinned into the passionate kiss as Rei moved against him, causing him to react to the friction.

"Ready for that already are you Rei?" he asked as Rei made his way licking down Kai's throat. Kai winced slightly and shivered in delight as Rei roughly scraped his incisors against his throat.

"Ready for what?' Rei asked innocently and looked down at Kai with big wide eyes. Kai knew he was acting, but the act had Kai completely turned on. He saw Rei's grin just before he turned them both over so he lay on top, furiously attacking at Rei's throat and chest once he managed to get the ties of his shirt undone in his haste. Kai sucked gently and licked down Rei's sternum as he trailed his hands down his now exposed sides. He smiled as he felt Rei's skin tingle and react. Rei was panting slightly now.

"Kai," he moaned. "Stop teasing me."

Kai grinned. "But I like teasing you." He was about to move back down when he felt Rei's hands pulling him up for another kiss. Kai grinned at the diversionary tactic then shivered as he felt Rei's hands slide up under the back of his shirt. He pulled away and took it off himself then reached down and finished pulling off Rei's. Then he held Rei's hands down and lowered his head to his chest again and continued where he was.

"Kai," Rei pouted even as he gasped in pleasure. He managed to free one hand from Kai's and, knowing it was impossible to distract Kai from his ministrations (and rather enjoying it himself), he ran his fingers through Kai's soft tangles of hair. Using his free hand, Kai reached down to Rei's waistband and slowly, gently slid his hand under.

"Kai, what are … Shit!" Rei's sudden jerk away from him startled Kai and he pulled away in confusion. He sat up and looked at Rei beneath him. Rei was staring at him with wide eyes.

"What happened, what did I …" Kai's eyes widened and he trailed off as he suddenly realised what he'd almost done. "Oh gods, Rei, I'm so sorry."

Rei shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'm sorry for overreacting." He blushed slightly. "I guess I wasn't expecting that."

"Rei, if you don't want to go any further —"

Rei cut Kai's concerned rambling off with a deep kiss. He pushed Kai down slightly and positioned them so he was now back on top. Kai smirked and allowed the tiger his small victory. He held the tiger by his waist and ran his hands teasingly down his chest and sides as Rei continued the pleasuring torture he'd practiced on the neko-jin. Kai shivered every time Rei's sharp teeth gently grazed his chest, or whenever his claws lightly brushed his sides, leaving his skin tingling.

Kai was busy caught up in his pleasure that he didn't notice as Rei slowly undid his belt and unzipped his pants. It wasn't until Rei pulled away slightly and grinned that he noticed something was up.

"Rei?" Rei only grinned and gave him a lingering passionate kiss. Kai's eyes opened wide as Rei used the distraction to completely unclothe him. Kai looked at him questioningly as Rei pulled back again and lowered his head. "What … oh fuck!"

Kai arched backwards and cried out as Rei licked gently on the tip of his penis. He continued to nip and suck, drawing frustrated growls from Kai. Rei laughed softly, causing Kai to arch again then snarl as Rei pulled back. "Getting impatient are we?" Rei inquired teasingly.

"Rei, you'd either better finish what you started, or I'll be forced to."

Rei's eyes glittered at the suggestion. "What do you mean 'or'? Next time, you get to do this." He grinned and licked his lips. "This time I'll do it though." He leaned back down and gently sucked on Kai's tip again, making the older boy cry out. He ran his tongue along the underside of the quivering piece then sucked down hard, getting aroused as he heard Kai's ecstatic moans.

Kai could feel himself sliding into his pool of desire. He'd never dreamed that anything could feel this blissful. "Rei," he called out haggardly, his voice heavy with lust. In response, his tiger lifted slightly and used his tongue to excite him further. Kai closed his eyes and threw his head back. "Oh gods," he called out just before he spiraled down into complete ecstasy.

Rei felt Kai's sudden shift and he quickly readied himself to take in his lover's juices.

Kai panted, his eyes still closed, trying to calm himself again from the most wonderful experience he'd ever had. "Fuck … Rei, how did you learn to do that?" Kai opened his eyes to look down at the neko-jin. Rei quickly ran his tongue over his lips, taking in any of Kai's excess semen, not realiseing what an erotic display it was for Kai. His breath hitched as he watched Rei crawl back up and lay on top of him.

"Nowhere. I've never actually done this before, but I do fantasise a lot … and then there's always books, pictures, tapes, various other multimedia." Rei flashed him a sultry grin and Kai grabbed him and pulled him down for a breathtaking kiss displaying Kai's desire for him. Kai could taste his own essence in Rei's mouth, which only caused to excite him again.

Rei responded eagerly then pulled back. "Kai?" Kai grunted in response, his lips once again occupied with Rei's neck. "Take me."

Kai froze as he heard those breathless words. "What?" he looked over at Rei in amazement. "You want me to …" Rei nodded. Kai kissed him passionately before drawing back. "You have to trust me."

"With everything I am." Even in his state of hazy desire, those few words struck Kai to his core and he placed a gentle loving kiss on Rei's lips.

"These will have to go then." Rei frowned suddenly before he felt Kai tugging at his pants. Grinning, he stripped himself completely and laid on the bed. Kai just stared at him, looking down at him. "Gods you're so beautiful." He couldn't say any more as Rei pulled him down for a kiss.

"Take me, now, please."

"Hold on." Kai pulled back and positioned himself above Rei. "I can't just do it without preparation. I'd hurt you.'

"I know it hurts, but I don't care." Kai stopped Rei before he could pull him down for another distracting kiss.

"No, I mean seriously hurt you. This is where the trust comes in." Kai reached down and gently moved his hands to Rei's buttocks. "Do you trust me with something as serious as this."

Rei nodded. "I do." Kai nodded and kissed him gently, distracting Rei so he could gently insert a finger and slowly stretch Rei. Rei pulled away sharply, a sudden panic in his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Shh, Rei, trust me. Just ignore it for now, okay. I promise, I won't hurt you." Kai gently reassured him and kissed him again, trailing wet kisses down his throat as he continued to prepare Rei for the intrusion. Rei tried to stop moving away, but the penetration sensation was unsettling and slightly painful to him.

"Kai … I … I don't know."

Kai looked up at him. "You don't want to?"

Rei hesitated. "I do, but I'm afraid."

"I won't hurt you." Kai kissed him softly. "But if you don't want to, then I won't." He was silenced again by Rei's mouth closing on his. 

He trailed his other hand down Rei's chest teasing him even as he continued to stretch his opening. Kai pulled away. "I think you're all right now." Rei nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Rei nodded again. Kai smiled. "Okay then. The first part is unsettling, but you'll get used to it."

Kai leaned over and opened one of the drawers, sticking his hand in and searching around for something. "What are you looking for?" Rei asked curiously. One usually didn't look around for things during sex, unless … no he wouldn't go down that path yet.

"Lube," Kai muttered. "I know there was a small bottle of lotion, or something, in one of these drawers." Kai closed the top drawer then opened the second and smiled in triumph. "Perfect, this is better than lotion." Rei stared at him curiously as Kai opened the small bottle of lubricant and quickly coated his erection. Rei blushed slightly as he watched this, but he didn't tear his eyes away from the sight.

"Hey, um, Kai, I know this is like a weird question, but have you ever …" Rei gestured vaguely with his hand and blushed as Kai looked over at him. "Well, you know. Have you ever thought about me and …" he gestured again, though a bit more specifically.

Kai finally got what he was asking and blushed bright red. He cleared his throat. "Um, do I really have to answer that right now?" Rei shrugged, but Kai could tell he was reluctant to let his question lie unanswered. He sighed. "Yes, I have."

"Really? When?"

Kai cleared his throat again. "Question time later." He could see Rei's disappointment, but he shrugged. "I already answered you."

Rei pouted. "Fine." Kai couldn't help himself, the tiger just looked so desirable laying there with that petulant expression on his face. He leaned over and ravaged his lips, grabbing Rei by the shoulders and pinning him to the bed. Rei eagerly wrapped his hands behind Kai's head and pushed himself against him.

"This may be a little painful," Kai whispered into Rei's ear. Once he got his lover's nod of assent, he slowly positioned himself and entered Rei. Rei gasped slightly and pulled back a bit. Kai calmed him and kissed him gently in a soothing manner, letting Rei get used to the intrusion.

"It's strange," Rei admitted, a waver in his voice. Kai pushed himself up slightly and Rei hissed. "Very strange."

"You'll get used to the feeling." Kai continued to slowly insert himself into Rei, moving the boy into a more comfortable position for both of them. Rei smiled nervously at him and gasped slightly when Kai completely moved in against him. "Feel a bit better?"

"Not really." Rei moved slightly, unaware of what that simple friction was doing to Kai, though aware that he was actually enjoying it too. Kai saw the uneasiness still in Rei's eyes and he gently kissed him, rocking forward slightly. He continued to kiss Rei until he felt sure that he was ready to completely get into this.

Kai moved forward slowly, every action causing a slight gasp from Rei, though these gradually grew smaller and less frequent. The two of them eventually found a stable and comfortable rhythm to move to. Still feeling the tension in the body beneath him, Kai continued to run his hands soothingly down Rei's sides and chest, while he placed the boy with his mouth and gentle kisses.

"Kai," Rei whispered.

"Yes?"

"Could you possibly, maybe go faster?" Rei blushed slightly and Kai grinned. 

"Sure. Just tell me if you don't feel right."

"You think this feels natural?"

Kai laughed and once again descended on Rei's throat, moving slightly harder and faster against and inside his beloved. Rei moved against him, complimenting Kai's motion.

Rei suddenly gasped and arched back making Kai stare at him in worry. "What is it?"

"Kai, I swear, if you dare stop now I will rip your throat out with my teeth." Kai grinned in understanding. He'd found Rei's prostate.

"Didn't I tell you it got better?"

Rei didn't answer, he merely gasped as Kai moved into him again and again.

"Gods Kai, this is … oh gods." Kai could feel Rei's inner walls clenching and tightening even further, causing the phoenix to moan slightly in pleasure as he continued to move inside his tiger.

Rei shuddered slightly and cried out suddenly as his pleasure rose past it's peak and he dug his claws into Kai and bit down hard on his neck, drawing blood, as the blissful orgasmic sensations coursed through him.

Kai was in his own state of rapture, barely feeling the injuries caused by the tiger as he too was caught up in a whirlpool of sensations and emotions that could be released only with a great cry of pleasure.

***

Some time later, Rei lay snuggled up against Kai under the rumpled and soiled bed sheets, drowsing silently, listening to the faints strains of music that were still playing from when Kai was listening earlier.

Kai planted a gentle kiss on Rei's brow as he dozed and drew the tiger closer. "I love you Rei," he breathed into the neko-jin's ear.

"I love you Kai," Rei replied with a soft kiss.

__

AN: *squeals and blushes* I cannot believe I wrote that! I've never written a lemon in my life, only lime. Argh! What the hell was I on when I wrote that? *hides sugar* Yes, well, anyway, I hope you thoroughly enjoyed that. Now I shall retire and sleep a sleep filled with dreams of Rei and Kai … oh gods, I'm never going to get to sleep with those two in there!


	12. Training Day

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He, he, I thoroughly enjoyed that last chapter, didn't you guys? I'm so glad my citrus was received rather well by all of you, I was extremely nervous, being my first and all. This chapter's sort of an intermediate chappie, as well as the next one, but they're humorous. I figured also that being a beyblade fic set in a tournament, I'd better actually have some of the sport in this.

Also, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews *huge huggles for reviewers* you all put me in such a wonderful mood as soon as I read them. Praise and flattery is always gratefully accepted as well as gifts. Especially thank you to Shinwa no Akuma *huggles Kai and Rei plushies*, I love getting wonderful gifts and don't worry, I'll be updating 'Shadows Within the Fire' very soon.

Anyways, enough blathering and thanking of wonderful reviewers, on with the story

****

Training Day

Kai opened his eyes groggily, slowly becoming aware of everything, including the naked body spooned against him.

Kai smiled looking over at Rei. The tiger looked so beautiful. Sometime during the night his hair had fallen out of his braid and Kai began to play with it sleepily Rei groaned slightly and turned on his side, facing Kai.

Kai gently kissed his lips, feeling Rei stir gently. He moved onto his neck and down his chest, smiling as he heard the slight sleepy moans from Rei. Kai grinned suddenly as an idea came to him and he moved completely under the sheets and down along Rei's body, trailing his tongue down Rei's hard stomach and down further.

Kai grinned as he heard Rei's waking gasp.

"Oh," he groaned, the sound making Kai feel shivers of pleasure go through him. "Lee."

Kai shot up, his eyes wide. He ripped the sheet away and stared at Rei.

Molten golden eyes looked amusedly down at him. Kai growled as Rei's delightful laughter rang in his ears. He crawled up and pinned Rei to the bed.

"You were playing with me."

"It was an opportunity I just couldn't resist." Rei chucked at his scowl. "You should have seen the indignant expression on your face! It was fantastic."

"I'll bet." Kai pouted. "Fine. You don't get the wake up call I'd planned for you."

"Oh, Kai!" Rei looked at him with huge eyes. "Don't I at least get a kiss?" Kai couldn't take much more of the pitiful expression and sighed, relenting. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Rei's lips. Rei brought his hands up and pulled Kai down to deepen the kiss. The phoenix complied without protest.

"So," Kai breathed as he pulled away, "Who's name will you be calling out now?"

Rei smirked. "I guess it depends on how much you can convince me it should be you." He laughed as Kai immediately leant down again and proceeded to 'convince' him.

"I suppose it could be you then." Rei laughed as Kai poked his tongue out at him and sat up.

"We need a shower." Rei blushed at the suggestion and nodded. Kai grinned at his embarrassment and pulled him up from the bed and over to the bathroom, where, as soon as he entered, he was pushed up against the wall by Rei and pleasantly kissed.

"Rei," Kai moaned between kisses. "We really … should … get in."

Rei gave him one final kiss then moved away to the shower. He turned the water on then looked over his shoulder seductively at Kai and stepped under the spray after he tested it. Kai made sure the door was locked before stepping in behind Rei.

Rei shivered in delight as Kai slowly ran his hands over his shoulders and down his chest. Kai smiled at the reaction and languorously began to wash his lover, knowing that Rei was getting impatient as well as aroused by the actions.

"Kai." Rei growled and he turned around in his arms.

"Yes, my love?"

Rei looked at him in surprise. "Do you really love me?"

Kai smiled and nodded shyly. "I do. How could I not?" He kissed Rei's forehead. "You're beautiful. Kind. Persistent. Loyal." Kai grinned. "And you're great in bed."

"Hey!" Rei glared. "I'm going to ignore the fact that you're joking and take that as a compliment."

"But it was."

"I know … but the way you said it … that's not the only reason you want me is it?" Kai looked shocked that Rei could even think this. "I'm sorry," he quickly apologised, looking down. "I never should have suggested that."

Kai ran his fingers through Rei's long hair in a soothing manner. "I understand why you did and I promise I won't hurt you like that again."

Rei nodded. "Why did you say that?"

Kai looked away. "I was afraid. I didn't want to get close. I thought I'd hurt you, but all I was really doing was trying to avoid heartache myself. Only it backfired. Not being near you hurt more than being with you."

Rei kissed him passionately. "I love you and now that I have you I'm never leaving you, no matter what you say."

Kai grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He gave Rei a soft kiss then pulled away and reached over for the soap. He stopped as Rei gasped at something. "What's wrong?"

Rei pointed. "Your neck." Kai put a hand to his neck and felt the two small wounds there. He grinned at Rei.

"I guess you got a bit enthusiastic." Rei blushed and Kai smiled at him. "But I'm kind of glad. You've marked me as yours."

"I know, but I still feel a bit bad.'

Kai pulled him closer and leaned down slightly to brush past his ear. If it makes you feel any better, I'll return the favour." He felt Rei's smile just before he pushed his lover against the slippery wall and attached himself to his neck. Rei moaned in pleasure at the feeling and ran his hands down Kai's back.

"I think I did more than that too," Rei whispered as he felt the indentations of his nails on Kai's shoulder blades.

"Doesn't matter," Kai whispered against his neck.

"But I caused you pain."

"Not really." Kai looked up. "I'm sure I did more harm to you. Don't you feel a bit sore."

Rei smiled sheepishly. "I do a bit, but it's a nice feeling."

Kai grinned. "That it would be." He pulled away from Rei slightly. "Why don't I wash your hair again."

"Thanks." Rei turned around and grabbed the shampoo then handed it to Kai. "Make sure you get all the way to the roots."

"You don't trust me?"

"Kai, we're talking about my hair here. I love you, but I still want it to be kept in good condition."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure of it."

***

Kenny yawned and scuffled into the sitting room joining the two bedrooms. He slowly made his way over to the small kitchenette in the corner and boiled water to make coffee.

He glanced over as he heard something coming from the other room and shook his head, thinking he was still half-asleep. For surely, he did not just hear Kai laugh as he thought he had. He turned his attention back to the kettle as it boiled and poured himself a cup, putting in two teaspoons of coffee and no sugar or milk. He really needed to wake up, especially considering he once again thought he heard Kai laughing in the other room.

As Kenny sat down on the couch to sip at his coffee the door to the other room opened and Kai backed out, holding his hands before him, only half dressed. The door shut quickly behind him and Kenny heard Rei laugh triumphantly.

Kai banged quickly on the door. "Rei, let me back in now."

"Or you'll do what?" Kenny heard Rei ask teasingly through a crack in the door.

Kai grinned. "I think you know what I will, or rather won't do." Kenny's eyebrows shot up at this and he made a choking sound. Kai whirled around surprised to see him there. "Kenny … I … uh …"

Kenny was perhaps one of very few people in the world to manage to catch Kai off guard and see him flustered. He stared at the captain of the Bladebreakers in amazement as he blushed and stuttered his way towards and explanation. Kenny could also hear Rei's loud laughter coming through the crack in the door.

Kenny just shook his head and pointed to his coffee. "This isn't strong enough to deal with something like this in the morning. I must be still half-asleep, because I know I did not just hear and see what I thought I heard and saw.' Kenny shook his head again and got up to move back to his room. "I think I need more sleep." He stared quizzically at the stunned Kai from under his bangs one last time before shaking his head for the third time and reentering his own room with his coffee.

About an hour later, after Kenny felt he had woken up enough, there was a knock at the door and Kai came though. "Time to get up," he ordered gruffly.

Max, who was in a state of half-wakefulness at the time, yawned and nodded, stretching slightly and getting up and moving over to the bathroom. Tyson rolled over in his sleep and slumbered on. Kai glared at him.

"Tyson, get up now." He nudged the sleeping blader none too lightly. Tyson groaned and opened one eye then growled and pulled his blankets over his head. Kai returned the growl and stripped the blankets of the boy, who curled up into a tighter ball and moved away from his captain. "Tyson, I'm only warning you once. Get up now, or face the consequences."

Tyson shot up. Last time Kai said that he hadn't followed his captain's orders and the result wasn't pretty. "I'm up, he assured him.'

"Good. We start training in an hour. Rei's getting breakfast now, so I wouldn't be too long with getting ready."

Tyson drooled at the prospect of food and Kai shook his head in disgust before turning away and walking back out.

Throughout the exchange Kenny had been watching the phoenix very carefully and that crimson gaze had continually avoided his uncomfortably. The one time that he had looked at him, Kai had looked away almost immediately with a slight blush forming on his cheeks. Kenny had never seen him loose his cool so easily.

"I guess I must have really heard and saw what I thought I did," Kenny muttered, his face paling slightly at the prospect.

***

"Tyson, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What?" Tyson had tried to hold in his anger, but when Kai was the one yelling at him, it was rather hard.

"You're not working enough on your defence, your blade is completely vulnerable for an attack when you move like that." Kai demonstrated by shooting Dranzer into the dish and knocking Dragoon out with a single movement.

"Fine, what should I do then?" Tyson picked up his blade and glared at his captain.

"Work with Rei, see if you can defend against his agility. Rei, I want you to keep working on him until he is no longer leaving his blade unprotected." Rei nodded. "Max, you need to work on your attacks more, so you're with me." Max nodded and moved over so that Rei and Tyson could have the larger dish.

"So, what did you want me to work on?' Max asked cheerfully. Kai looked over at Kenny.

"What do you suggest?"

Kenny looked up. "Well, it seems that Max has been improving, but the modifications I made are more suitable for a defensive blade."

"That doesn't mean that you can't attack. The best defence is a good offence and the extra weight adds to the attack power, however, you can't rely on that alone as you have been doing."

Max nodded. "So what should I do?"

"Lets see how well you defend and attack against Dranzer, then I'll be able to see more." Kai set his blade in his shooter and moved away from the dish slightly, where he saw Tyson get knocked out of the ring for the third consecutive time.

"Right." Max set his Draciel in his launcher. "Ready when you are."

"Go." Kai and Max launched the blades. Kai studied Max's movements as Dranzer circled the blade. "You're falling back into old habits, you need to move around more."

"Got it." Draciel edged slightly towards the circling phoenix.

"Good, now the best chance you have is a quick surprise attack while your opponent lets down their own defence. Like I was berating Tyson, they let down their defence while they're attacking. You have a advantage being a defence blade in that you don't seem to do that, but because of that, your attacks lack the speed and sometimes even power to strike. Try it."

Dranzer stopped circling and moved in on Draciel. The tortoise took the opportunity to dodge and attack from the side, but Dranzer moved away and knocked Max's blade out of the dish.

"Too slow and your blade didn't have enough force behind it." Kai looked over to see Rei's blade fly out of the dish, to the shock of both opponents. He smiled. "Looks like Tyson finally got it. Now, I want you to work with Rei and see if you can manage to knock him out of the dish. Rei, you need to up your attack power slightly, so I want you to try and beat Max. Tyson, over here and show me what you've done." The three bladers moved and Kai faced off against Tyson.

"I want you to be able to predict Dranzer's attack and dodge it and knock me out of the dish with your own attack. Got it?"

Tyson nodded and set Dragoon in his launcher.

"Go." The two blades met in the middle of the ring then began spinning around. Dranzer moved in to attack and Dragoon managed to dodge aside. Kai smiled at the move and looked up to see Tyson grinning confidently. Dragoon moved in to attack and Kai saw a slight opening and took it, sending Dragoon into the side of the dish.

"You could have been knocked out then. Concentrate on all of your aspects: attack, defence, speed and endurance. You left yourself open for a split second. If you were only a bit faster or more defensive, I wouldn't have been able to do that."

Tyson nodded, actually taking in Kai's advice for once. Probably only because he wasn't yelling it at him, which was rather strange for the crimson eyed blader. Tyson kept his eyes glued to the dish and grinned slightly.

"Dragoon, Phantom Hurricane."

Kai narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out where Tyson could be attacking from. "Dranzer, dodge it." Kai's eyes widened as Dranzer only barely moved away before Dragoon flew by. "Attack."

Tyson grinned and Dragoon managed too not only dodge the attack, but use the force of Dranzer's attack momentum and split second vulnerability to his advantage as Dragoon swung back around and brushed against Dranzer's edge, sending the blade spinning off on a sharp tangent.

Kai smiled slightly at him and nodded his head in admiration. "Impressive." He caught his blade in his hand. "You actually listened for once."

Tyson grinned. "Yeah. See, if you weren't such a sourpuss at times, we'd get more enjoyment and lessons from our training."

"Don't push your luck. I want you to go and battle Max, see if you can overcome the defences of a defensive blade. Max, I want you to work on your own attacks and power in conjunction with your defensive maneuvers." The two of them nodded and headed for the dish. Rei walked over knowing what was coming. "Rei," Kai grinned. "You're with me."

Rei smirked at him. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Kai indulged himself slightly before turning serious again and returning to the task at hand. "You lack power and force. You have speed, you have endurance, but both attack and defence are lacking because of this. Your defence is fine for the speed you blade at, the ring you have improves your maneuverability as well. I want to work on your attacking power though. It isn't enough to be able to dodge and endure attacks, you need to be able to make a final blow early in the match as well. Your endurance won't last you if your opponent has a very strong attack that manages to hit only once. You'll be out."

Rei nodded. "Right."

"I'm one of those opponents. If you can handle yourself against me and at least manage to last for a while against me, I'll know you've improved." Rei nodded again and set up his blade. "Go."

They both launched. Kai moved straight in for the kill and Drigger barely managed to dodge the swift powerful attack. "Not good enough Rei, you're not going to be able to outrun Dranzer forever." So saying, the phoenix circled quickly and touched a glancing blow to the tiger blade. Drigger wobbled slightly before straightening. "Your defence is weakened, thus your maneuverability and speed are down. You won't win this match." Dranzer struck again with a powerful blow and Drigger was sent flying.

Rei caught his blade and stared at it for a while. "How do I improve on this?"

"Use your strengths, both your bit's, yours and your blades, to your advantage and to your weaknesses advantage." Rei looked confused. "Find a way to make your speed add to your attacking and defending power rather than subtracting from it." Rei nodded. He pondered over this, staring down at the dish.

"Right, I think I'm ready to go again."

Kai nodded and set his blade in his launcher. "All right. Go." The two blades launched. Drigger shot out and began circling the dish. Dranzer followed, trying to knock the tiger out. Suddenly Drigger seemed to stop and switch directions. Kai frowned. Dranzer cut across the centre of the dish and Drigger met the phoenix in the middle. There was a collision and both blades were flung out to the side. Kai frowned again. The angle at which Rei's blade was shot out was slightly different than he expected. Dranzer began to wobble slightly.

"What did you do?" Kai asked curiously as they met again in the middle and the same thing seemed to happen. Dranzer's movements began to get slightly more erratic.

"Used my speed and maneuverability to my advantage, as well as my blade's endurance."

"You switched directions as you collided with my blade so that it was almost as though two attacks were made at the same time."

"Yep."

Kai nodded. "Very good. But not good enough to beat me. Dranzer! Fire Arrows!" Rei's eyes widened and Drigger was met with a powerful frontal assault that he couldn't avoid or dodge. Drigger was thrown into the side of the dish and began to wobble very erratically. "Against most other people, you wouldn't have lost, but then, I am your captain."

Rei grinned at Kai's egotistical show. "Of course." He moved over and picked up his slowing blade. "But then, I wouldn't have lost quite as easily against other people. I let you off easy."

"Whatever you think." Kai smirked at his lover and walked off to check on the other two bladers.

Rei stared after him with a smile, caught up in his own little world of fantasies. Kenny had to clear his throat quite a few times before Rei actually noticed he was there. Rei blushed when he noticed the younger boy.

"Uh, what is it Chief?"

"Just thought I'd let you know there will be another gathering tonight for the five beyblade teams. But this time, it's bladers only and it's only a short informal dinner, not an entire formal night."

Rei grinned. "Cool. Have you told the others yet."

"Not yet, they seemed a bit occupied at the moment." The two looked over and grinned at the fierce battle raging between the two best friends under the watchful eye of the stoic captain. "I was going to inform Kai now."

"Great, I'll come with you."

When Kai heard the news, he glanced quickly down at his watch and scowled. "This seriously cuts into our training time." He cleared his throat loudly and the two bladers managed to tear their attention away from the dish to look over at him. "We're all finished here. We're heading over to the same hall we were in two nights ago for another dinner."

"All right!" Tyson grinned and jumped excitedly in the air. "The food there was great."

"I'm surprised you remembered it," Max muttered. Tyson scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "When are we going?"

"Soon, so everyone has to quickly get changed and freshen up a bit." Kai waited for the nods of assent from the four members of his team then turned and walked back into the hotel. The others followed, smiling and talking excitedly about the dinner.

Rei suddenly noticed Max staring at him curiously. "What?"

"Nothing really, I've just been noticing all day that you've got some sort of mark on your neck. I was wondering what it was." Max, in all his innocent naivete, never realised the strangeness of the reactions he got from the other teammates. 

Tyson narrowed his eyes suspiciously while Kenny stuffed a hand into his mouth to stop his laughter. Kai stumbled slightly, managing to catch the comment from way up the front and Rei flushed darkly and looked away guiltily.

"Uh, I really don't know Maxie, it could have been anything."

"Maybe a bug," Max suggested, drawing a choked cough from Kai and a muffled giggle from Kenny. "A mosquito perhaps."

"Could be," Rei muttered, still looking away and flushing even darker.

"Yeah, those nasty little suckers just attach themselves and never let up don't they Rei?" Tyson was watching his teammates' reactions carefully. Kai continued to cough and almost stumbled again while Rei grew even darker. However, Kenny couldn't help himself as he heard Tyson's comment, he cracked up and fell over on the floor laughing, much to the mortification of the two older Bladebreakers.

__

AN: I hate to say this, but my next chapter might be a while, I've got my HSC trial exams in like two days and I have to study. *mutters darkly about evil schools and tests* Hopefully I'll be able to at least write up the next few chapters and post them as soon as I can. My apologies in advance if the updates take a while, but trust me, the next chapters are very interesting and enjoyable and hopefully worth the wait.


	13. For The Love Of

__

I'm so sorry for the delay *mutters darkly* stupid trials. *big smile again * But now everything's cool, I've only got one more exam to do. Yay! 

Here's the next chappie, I'm s sorry about the shortness, but I'll make it up to you with the next one. You definitely don't want to miss it. Or this one. Enjoy.

****

For the Love of …

Despite an earlier promise not only to Kai, but also to the other members of his team, Tyson reached for a glass of champagne from a passing waiter almost unconsciously.

"Tyson," Kai barked and the hand immediately snapped back. "Good boy."

Tyson glared at him before ignoring him and turning to the other members of his team. "Looks like we're the first here."

"Apart from your's and Max's fathers." Kenny pointed and the two younger boys grinned and ran over to greet them. "And it looks like Mr. Dickinson and Tyson's grandfather are here too. If you two don't mind?" Kai nodded and Kenny walked at a more dignified pace over to the adults.

"Alone at last," Rei whispered with a smile. Kai led him to the long table and they sat down next to each other. "We haven't had a moment together all day."

"Except for this morning." Kai grinned. "But I don't expect we'll have long alone together considering everyone is starting to arrive." Rei looked over to the door and he drooped slightly as he saw the All-Stars and the Majestics enter. Kai grinned at his tiger's disappointment.

"Maybe we can find another room somewhere later tonight," Rei breathed seductively. Kai looked over at him with a smirk.

"Count on it."

The two of them greeted the two teams with a smile and warm words. Michael grinned at the two of them as he saw them sitting so close together. Rei noticed and blushed slightly, causing the grin to widen. Robert also narrowed his eyes speculatively. Kai merely glanced calmly back at them and greeted them cordially.

It wasn't until The White Tigers and the Demolition Boys entered the room that things started to get even more interesting.

Lee led his team over to the long dining table where the All-Stars were situated at the far end and the Majestics at the other. Kai and Rei were talking with Michael and the other Bladebreakers were with the Majestics and the five adults. Lee grinned and approached the three boys nearest him.

Rei looked up and noticed him first. "Lee," he grinned, causing the other two to turn around.

Lee returned the smile. "Hey Rei. Kai." He smirked slightly. "Michael," he drawled.

The rest of the White Tigers greeted the three of them and the All-Stars. Mariah was about to move over to Rei, but was stopped and distracted by Emily who wanted to talk to her about something. She glared slightly and Kai, who was the only one who noticed, smirked and looked away.

Michael got up after the greetings were made and people were starting to be distracted. He moved over to Lee and grinned slightly. "How have you been?"

Lee grinned back. "Not as well as I could be."

"That's a shame to hear."

"Please try and behave yourselves, at least in front of us." Lee and Michael glared at Rei who looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Kai sniffed and sent a slight glare in Lee's direction.

Lee looked taken aback by the strange hostility, but Rei merely sighed.

"Kai, you aren't still sore about this morning are you?"

"What do you think."

Rei sighed. "Sorry Lee, Kai's just in a grumpy mood, though that isn't too strange for him." Rei grinned as Kai glared at him.

Lee nodded. "I suppose that's all right." The four of them turned as they noticed more people enter the room. The Demolition Boys had arrived.

Tala made his way with Bryan over to them. Noticing the closeness between Kai and Rei he grinned and nudged Bryan in the ribs. Which was unnecessary as Bryan had already noticed the couple. He narrowed his eyes with a sly grin.

"Kai, Rei. Good to see you two are on speaking terms." Kai glared at his ex-lover while Rei blushed slightly. Lee and Michael looked a bit confused at the greeting. Tala turned to them with a wink. "And I'm sure you two are just as glad to see each other as these two are."

"Tala," Kai growled warningly. Tala smirked at him and grinned openly at the looks of surprise on Lee and Michael's face.

"Wait, you two are …" Michael trailed off with wide eyes then grinned. "Well it took you long enough."

"What?" Kai looked a bit confused.

"Come on Kai, you didn't seriously think you two could hide anything from us?" Lee grinned. "Rei was obvious enough, but you were just as bad." Rei blushed again and chuckled nervously.

Kai glared at him, a bit darker than the light atmosphere around the table would have dictated. And Lee looked taken aback again. "Kai? Is something wrong?"

Rei looked over at his glowering lover and grinned suddenly. "Oh Kai, quit pouting over what happened this morning." Kai sniffed indignantly and turned away. Rei laughed at him. "Come one Kai, I was just teasing you—"

"And you managed to live?" Tala asked incredulously, drawing a few laughs from everyone.

"Rei, what happened this morning will never be spoken about to anyone, ever." Rei was about to protest this while everyone looked suddenly curious about the incident. Kai continued, cutting off any comments with a quick glare. "You will never speak of it to anyone, else I may never get to finish what I started this morning." Kai smirked as the colour fled from Rei's face.

"Never?" Rei choked.

"Never." Kai smirked again at the scowl.

"You're no fun Kai. I like teasing you."

"Think what you might enjoy more. Teasing me, or ..." He trailed off into another smirk.

Rei pouted again. The two of them were both laughing inwardly at the looks of shock on Lee and Michael's faces as well as the grin on Tala's and Bryan's raised eyebrow. "Fine," he agreed with a sigh. "I won't tell them about how totally fantastic ... mrmph!"

Kai blushed slightly and clamped a hand quickly over Rei's mouth.

"Oh my god!" Everyone turned to stare at Tala. "You two actually had sex!"

Kenny, who was walking past at that moment heard the rather loud statement said by the captain of the Demolition Boys and saw Rei and Kai with him. "I knew it!" he cried out, making everyone look at him. "I wasn't crazy, you two are together!"

Rei was blushing too much and could barely make a coherent sound. Kai wasn't much better. He faced Kenny and opened his mouth a few times as though to speak, but nothing seemed to come out.

"This explains a lot. This morning for one." Here both boys sunk further into their seats then Kenny continued to list things off on his fingers. "Three days ago walking in to find you two together in bed naked like that."

"What?" Four pairs of eyes widened and stared at Kenny in shock. Everyone else was starting to realise there was something interesting going on and looked over at the small group curiously.

"Then there were those weird sound coming from the shower and your room after that. The party as well, Rei was acting rather flirtatiously."

"You managed to notice that through your drunken stupor?" Kai muttered darkly.

"For your information Kai, I wasn't that drunk."

"You guys have been together for three days already?" Tala asked curiously. "Then what the hell was that stupid fight all about yesterday?"

"We haven't been together for three days," Kai hissed, noticing everyone's eyes on them. "And we weren't naked Kenny."

"Okay maybe not, but why were you all snuggly then?" Kai blushed at this and let Rei answer with a sheepish grin and a laugh.

"Kai's really warm at night. I tend to migrate over to him during the night." Rei suddenly laughed mischievously. "Actually, the first time I did it, seeing his reaction when he woke up was priceless."

Kai groaned. "Rei you aren't going to ..." He trailed off seeing the evil smirk on his beloved's face. "Fine, just don't incriminate me too much."

"Would I do that?" Rei asked innocently.

"So when was this?"

"During the Russian tournament. The night before the finals after Kai got back we just all kind of fell into bed. Of course, having my sleeping partner away for so long, I'd fallen into the habit of sleeping into the middle of the bed."

"I wasn't gone that long!" Kai protested.

"I know, but it still happened. Anyway, that night was really cold, so in my new habit, I unconsciously moved over during the night and sought out the warmth on the other side of the bed."

"So that was what the yelling was about that morning," Kenny murmured. "I knew the story about Kai being afraid of spiders was a bit off."

Everyone laughed at this and Kai blushed slightly, glaring at Kenny. Rei grinned and continued. "Anyway, as Kenny said, I Kai woke up and totally freaked out on me. He yelled and kind of pushed me off the bed. I woke up and yelled back. After a while we managed to wake the rest of the team. They asked what was wrong, and Kai, being the macho ice man he was didn't want the others knowing he'd freaked out over touching someone, said that he'd seen a spider as he woke up and in his half-asleep stupor got a bit scared."

Kai glared around as the people listening in on this started laughing. He especially glared at Tala who had almost fallen off his chair at the tale.

"So," Kenny finally asked once he'd wiped the tears from his eyes and sat down near Michael, looking over at the couple. "When exactly did you two get together then?"

Rei answered again, seeing as Kai wasn't really in the mood for talking with anyone at the moment. "Yesterday, after you guys went out to the movies. We'd actually had a fight in the morning about ... something that happened the night before after the party and weren't on speaking terms."

"Okay, I have to ask this," Tala smirked and looked at both of them with a grin. "Who made the first move?"

"Which time?" Rei asked.

Tala's eyes opened wide in surprise and there were a few choked coughs around the table. Rei blushed slightly. "Okay, what exactly were you talking about? Because Kai kissed me the first time."

Tala rolled his eyes. "I know all about that one, you told me about that. I'm talking about last night. Who made the first move?"

Rei grinned. "I did."

Tala swore and pouted slightly, surprising everyone. Bryan grinned at this. "Pay up Tala."

"This is so not fair, the one time I actually believe in Kai and he lets me down." Tala got out his wallet and handed over a note to Bryan.

"Tala, it was twenty, not ten." Tala glared at his grinning teammate and grudgingly handed over another note. "Thanks." Bryan pocketed the money and turned back to Rei winking. "Guess my pep talk helped a bit."

Rei blushed slightly and grinned. "Guess it did."

"I do not want to know what he said to you," Kai muttered. "Though I am grateful for the results." Rei laughed at him and so did everyone else.

"Hey, what's everyone laughing at?" Tyson and Max walked over and sat down beside Kenny. "We heard a lot of noise over here and were wondering what was so funny." Tyson looked over at Kenny for embellishment, but the brunette just grinned. "Kai? Rei?"

"Don't worry Tyson," Rei said. "I'm sure you'll find out."

"Sure," Tyson muttered, looking over at the two older Bladebreakers suspiciously. Rei grinned back at him while Kai gave him a bland look.

Kai scratched at his neck, moving his scarf slightly to reveal his mark.

"Is it bothering you?" Rei asked.

"Not really. I probably shouldn't have worn my scarf just yet though." Kai smiled reassuringly at him, making Tyson's eyes narrow further.

"All right Kai, now I know something's up. You've been acting nice, too nice, for a while now. I know you changed a bit after the world tournament, but this is going a bit far."

"I don't know what you're talking about Tyson." Kai calmly met his teammate's gaze and took a sip of his drink.

Max's yell made him spit it out.

"Oh my gosh Kai! You have one of those marks like Rei, but it's worse!" Kai clamped a hand to his neck and blushed slightly, causing quite a few people to chuckle into their drinks. Tala, Bryan, Lee and Michael were clearly loving this.

Tyson gasped slightly. "Ack! No way! I finally figured it out." He glanced from Rei to Kai and back again, watching their strange reactions. "I had my suspicions, but I never thought they were true!"

Max looked at him curiously. "What are you talking about Tyson?' he asked innocently.

"Think about it Maxie," Tyson urged him.

Max concentrated really hard then gasped. "Oh no! Giant vampire mosquitoes!"

Their reactions to his guess weren't quite what Max was expecting.

Tyson and Kenny groaned and put their heads in their hands, muttering about the naivete of their friend. Tala and Bryan burst out laughing while Michael and Lee looked at Max as though he were on something he shouldn't be. Rei and Kai just stared thinking the exact same thing: _How could anyone be that naive?_

Max looked a bit confused. "So there's no giant vampire mosquitoes?"

Tyson grabbed his friend and pulled him away from the table and whispered something in his ear. Max frowned slightly then gasped.

"No way!" Tyson nodded to Max's disbelief and continued. "No way! No way!" He looked back over at Kai and Rei and blushed slightly. "It's weird, I never would have thought of that."

"Obviously not," Tyson muttered pulling away from his friend.

Max scratched at the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess I was kind of silly with the whole mosquito thing."

"Just a little Maxie." The two of them rejoined the table and things returned to the topic of the day: Kai and Rei.

After a while, things died down a bit and everyone soon took their seats to begin dinner. Things were a bit quieter and more subdued for a while as everyone started to drift away.

"You know Kai, you never answered my question from last night."

Kai looked over at Rei curiously. The only ones still with them were Tala, Bryan, Lee and Michael. Everyone had eventually gotten bored and decided to engage other people in conversation.

"What question?" Rei grinned slyly and Kai blushed. "Oh. That one."

"Yeah."

Kai shifted nervously in his seat. "Could we possibly talk about this elsewhere." That got the other four's immediate attention. Tala was grinning at Kai.

"What question Kai?"

Kai blushed and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "This is none of your business Tala. Rei just seems to find enjoyment in making me squirm in public."

"I get that sadistic side from being around you too long Kai. You only have yourself to blame. Now spill. How many times and when."

Kai growled. "Fine. Once, yesterday morning."

"Really?"

"Yes, now your turn. If so, how many and when."

Rei shrugged. "Fair's fair. Now, let me think." Rei frowned slightly in concentration and seemed to be counting. Kai started to blush after a short amount of time.

"You're not serious?" he muttered.

"Perfectly serious Kai." Rei smirked.

"Fine then. How about recently."

"Fine. Three times. A few days ago, when we first arrived here. Then the day after. And then yesterday, though obviously not in the morning. I didn't get up early enough."

Kai blushed. "No way," he muttered.

Rei smirked again. "Believe it Kai."

"How long had you liked me for?"

Rei flushed slightly. "Basically since the first time I met you."

"Really?" Rei met Kai's eyes when he heard the astonished admission. "I had no idea."

"I know. I'm good at hiding my feelings."

"I'll say."

Rei looked at him curiously. "So what about you? For how long?"

Kai looked uncomfortable. He glanced over at Tala, who was still trying to decipher, along with the other three, the meanings behind their first few comments. Tala felt his gaze and looked at him curiously. Rei watched the two of them cautiously and let it drop, knowing that what Kai said might hurt someone.

"It's okay," Tala murmured softly. "I wouldn't mind knowing either."

"You sure?" Kai asked. Tala nodded, though it was obvious he was steeling himself for Kai's reply. Kai sighed and looked back at Rei. "I was starting to have inklings around the time of the Asian tournament, but nothing serious until after I'd come back to the Bladebreakers in the World tournament."

"Wow." Rei grinned. "Guess we're both a little slow when it comes to these sort of things." There was a round of laughter at this and the topic soon shifted to more mundane things.

They were unaware of a furious gaze fixed on them throughout the night. Murderous golden eyes fumed and glinted with a need for vengeance.

__

AN: He, he, I love teasing Kai. It's fun to make him flustered. Next chappie is the tournament … very important stuff happening there. Until then. Laters.


	14. Day of Destiny

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Howdy all, I hope you've all been waiting eagerly for this next chapter. I know I've been wanting to write it so I hope you all enjoy it.

****

Day of Destiny

"Kai?"

"Yeah?' Kai didn't look up from his inspection of Dranzer's blade as Rei spoke.

"Who am I up against tomorrow?"

Kai looked up in surprise. Rei was looking over at him curiously, his Drigger blade forgotten for a moment. "I didn't tell you?" Rei shook his head. "That's right, you weren't there when I told the others, that was after we'd had that fight."

"Oh, right." Rei looked a bit uncomfortable and Kai changed the subject back, though rather reluctantly.

"You're the last battle. You're versing Mariah."

Rei's eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"

Kai nodded. "I couldn't do anything to change it, not without arousing some suspicion. It was a completely random draw designed so that no team member would be facing off against each other."

"Right." Rei looked nervous.

Kai got up and sat up on the bed beside him, drawing the boy into a warm embrace. Rei clung to him tightly.

"I'm still scared Kai."

"I know, it's natural, but you don't have to be frightened. I'll make sure that nothing happens to you." Kai placed a gentle finger under Rei's chin and drew his head up for a deep kiss.

"Kai?" Rei asked, pulling away after a short while. "Do you think I should tell them?"

"Only if you feel you're ready."

Rei nodded. "After the match tomorrow. I'll tell the others and Lee, but I won't press charges. I still care about Mariah as a friend, but I know that she needs help."

"Sometimes you amaze me Rei." Kai smiled down at his beloved. "How can you always be so positive about everything?"

"I just don't think that Mariah means all that bad. I know what she did was wrong, hell, it hurt and I despise her for that, but I know she's not always like that. She's just obsessed. I don't want to hurt her, I want to help her."

"Then you should talk to Lee, he's the best one to help as well."

"I know." Rei smiled, feeling like things can only get better for him from then on. He looked at Kai with a gentle smile. "Do you mind if we go to bed now? I'm a bit tired and we need to rest."

Kai kissed Rei's forehead. "Sure. I'll just go check on the others then I'll be back in." Kai disentangled himself and exited the room.

He shook his head and smiled as he saw the others asleep in the lounge room. Kenny was on the floor, his head leaning on the coffee table. He'd fallen asleep while analysing statistics on his laptop. Tyson was upside down on the couch, slowly slipping off and Max was lying on his stomach, also slowly slipping off because of Tyson.

Kai sighed and opened the door to their room then he grabbed Kenny and gently placed him on his bed. Picking up Max before he could slip off, Kai put him in beside the other boy. Hearing a thud, Kai quickly ran out to see if Tyson was awake. But, having known Tyson for a while, he should have realised that falling off a couch was no big deal for him. He was still snoring away as Kai picked him up and carried him in as well.

Closing their door gently Kai quietly made his way over to his own room and stood in the doorway, smiling gently at the sight that greeted him.

Rei was already in bed, fast asleep, his blade clutched tightly in his hand. Kai quickly removed his clothes after stepping into the room and closing the door and slipped in beside his beautiful neko-jin. Rei rolled over and cuddled into him. Kai smiled and put his arms around the boy, holding him close.

He leaned over slightly and placed a feathery kiss on Rei's forehead. "Goodnight Rei."

***

"Man I am so excited about this!"

"Tyson, please calm down, or at least lower your decibel level." Kenny removed his hands from his ears as Tyson sheepishly scratched at the back of his head.

"Sorry Chief."

Tyson had every right to be excited though, it was the match that everyone had been waiting for, the individual competition exhibitions. Each player on the five teams had to face another player without the support of the rest of their team. Each match was worth two points, two for a win, one each for a draw and none for a loss. The team with the highest point count at the end of the matches was declared the winner.

Upon arrival at the stadium the teams had one last brief moment for talk and farewells before each person was taken away by an official to another room. They could not communicate with anyone at all, so they went into the match completely blind, not knowing if they were winning or losing.

However, Tyson being the first up, had no such problems. He grinned cheerfully at Robert, who faced off against him.

"Ready to loose?" Tyson challenged, stepping up to the dish, beyblade at the ready.

Robert smirked and stepped up opposite him. He set his Griffolyon in his launcher. "I'm ready to win," he replied with a grin."

We'll see." Tyson smirked in an uncanny imitation of Kai and set Dragoon in his own launcher. He stared at Robert as the count down commenced and as Jazzman called out 'Let it rip!' the two blades sped off into the dish.

Tyson concentrated on the battle, watching Roberts moves. _Hmm, he's trying to overpower me with his attacks. Time to use them against him._ Tyson grinned and called out, "Dragoon, attack him."

"Griffolyon, get him before he attacks you." Tyson grinned as Robert called out this battle plan.

"You're mine Robert," he stated confidently as he used the same maneuver on Robert as he had Kai and Rei yesterday. When Griffolyon attacked, Dragoon moved to the side slightly then slammed back into the blade when it was vulnerable, causing Griffolyon to go flying and slam into the side of the dish and start to wobble uncontrollably.

The crowd roared its approval at the sight of this fantastic move and Robert starred in stunned amazement at his blade.

"Now Dragoon, finish it off. Phantom Hurricane!" Dragoon sped off towards the other blade and smashed into it with the usual force of it's gale of power. Griffolyon had no chance. The blade went flying up and out of the dish and lay on the side, no longer spinning.

"And the winner is Tyson of the Bladebreakers!" The crowd jumped up, ecstatic at such a fantastic battle from the two boys. Tyson grinned at the recognition and waved his arms around and blew kisses to the crowd.

"Thank you, thank you, I love you all!" Tyson grinned and retrieved his blade then headed over to Robert with a smile. "Hey, great match."

Robert smiled warmly. "Indeed it was. I see you have improved greatly. I commend you on your battle." He held out a hand and Tyson shook it with a grin.

"Thanks Robert." With the crowd still crying out in delight, the two bladers made their way to the change rooms to wait out and watch the rest of the games.

***

The next match was a long one between the two captains of the White Tigers and the All-Stars, but Lee emerged the victor. From inside the change room, Tyson and Robert watched the television screen with wide eyes as the two embraced after the match and shared a kiss then moved into the change rooms themselves.

Tyson grinned at the two of them as they entered. "Well that explains a few more things." Michael and Lee blushed slightly and laughed then they too settled down to watch the next match between Johnny and Bryan.

Needless to say, the falcon won that small scuffle. They shook hands and joined the others in the change room ready for the next match.

Max and Emily.

"Come on Maxie," Tyson muttered, staring avidly at the screen as his teammate approached the dish. "You can do it."

As if hearing his friend's words, Max grinned confidently and set his Draciel in his launcher, waving out to the crowd and people he knew in it like his mother and father. Then he turned to Emily with a smile.

"I'm glad we finally have a chance to battle again."

Emily smiled at her friend and nodded. "Yeah, me too Max. Just remember, I'll be doing my best, I want you to do the same." She put Trigator in her own tennis racket launcher. "Okay?'

"Sure." They waited for the countdown and launched.

Max grinned cheerfully as Draciel set up in the middle of the dish. _Wait until she gets a load of my new moves._ Emily smirked seeing Max put up a defensive stance. She moved in to attack and gasped as his blade dodged.

"Trigator, attack!"

"Draciel, dodge!" The tortoise dodged again and Max grinned. "You'll have to do better than that to beat me Emily."

Emily sniffed. "Fine. Trigator, maneuver."

His opponent's blade started to move faster around Draciel, weaving in and out. Max looked a bit worried then he grinned as he caught onto the pattern she was using.

"That was a mistake Emily. Draciel, move counterclockwise and attack."

Emily stared at him when he shouted out this strange move. "What?" She watched as Max moved up to her blade quickly, too quickly. Her eyes widened as she realised his strategy. _He's increasing his attack power by using my blade's momentum against me._ "Trigator move away, quickly!"

But Draciel was expecting this and attacked her blade from behind as she tried to move away. Emily had left her blade open to attacks from the side when she called out her next move. Her blade went flying and she quickly caught it in her hand. The crowd cheered wildly as the two of them shook hands and moved off to the change rooms.

"That was a fantastic battle," Emily complimented her opponent with a smile. "You've gotten really good Max."

Max laughed and blushed. "Thanks Emily."

When they got into the change rooms, everyone congratulated them and began watching the next match between Spencer and Gary. The round ended in a draw. Then the intermission began.

"All right food!" Everyone groaned and held their head in their hands as Tyson ran out of the change room in search of something to eat.

***

Kai let out a deep breath as he paced nervously in the small room with the official.

It was hell waiting like this, alone. It must be worse for Rei, considering he was in the last match.

Rei.

Kai felt a smile appear on his face at the thought of his beautiful raven-haired neko-jin. He wished they were here together right now, Rei was good at calming him down, in many ways.

The door opened and Kai looked around, berating himself for getting caught up in his thoughts.

"You're on," the second official said, holding the door open.

Kai nodded and made his way to the main floor of the stadium, breathing deeply and calming himself mentally as he did before every match. He barely noticed the crowd or the commentators, he was focused solely on his opponent.

Tala grinned. "So, we meet again."

"Indeed." Kai smirked and set Dranzer in his launcher. Tala did the same with Wolborg. They waited for the countdown then launched with furious cries of attacks.

"Dranzer! Attack head on!"

"Wolborg! Dodge and come in from the side."

"Evasive maneuvers!"

The blades followed every direction of their owners, dodging and circling anxiously, their every move causing gasps to rise from the audience.

Wolborg chased Dranzer around the ring, switching directions every so often forcing Kai to cut across the dish to escape and reposition to attack. Ever attack from Dranzer was met with a dodge from Wolborg and every offensive from the wolf was countered by the phoenix. Things looked at a standstill. Someone was bound to slip up.

The bladers themselves had their eyes locked to the dish. Tala glanced up one at Kai to see him completely focused on the battle.

"Wolborg!" The ice wolf rose up. "Attack full power!"

"Damn," Kai muttered. Dranzer couldn't escape that. "Dranzer! Face it and attack yourself!" The firebird screeched and moved to intercept the other blade.

They met with a resounding slam, the dish tearing up and sending smoke everywhere.

Everyone waited expectantly for the dust to clear and the winner to be announced. There was the sound of a blade hitting the floor and everything cleared. There were huge cracks and large piece of debris all over and through the dish. Dranzer was spinning, circling around the dish while Wolborg lay outside, motionless.

The crowd went wild and Kai smiled in satisfaction as he saw the result of the match.

Tala grinned at him and picked up his blade while Kai retrieved his.

"Great match," Tala said quietly, "but the better blader won."

"Perhaps." Kai smiled at him. "You're a worthy opponent Tala." He clasped his hand firmly.

"Thank you." Tala returned his smile. The two of them bowed to the crowd and walked off to the change rooms to find out how everyone else had done.

"Kai!" Tyson jumped on him as soon as he arrived. "You were awesome!"

"How did you do?"

"We won!" Max joined Tyson in jumping on Kai in excitement. "It's all thanks to you and your training."

Kai shrugged. "You're the ones blading. I don't control your actions." The two boys grinned at this. "Now get off me." They complied sheepishly. "How are we doing?"

Tyson looked at the scoreboard he'd written. "Well, I won, giving us two points, Max won, that makes four, you won, so we're on six right now. Um, the Majestics and All-Stars are both on one, the Demolition Boys are on three and the White Tigers are now on five with Kevin's win."

"What?" Kai turned to see the television and gaped.

"Yep, they've improved heaps."

Kai looked over at Lee, who was grinning and congratulating Kevin, who'd just entered the change rooms. "So Eddy's facing Ian now."

"Yep."

Kai nodded and leaned against a wall in his usual fashion, though he kept his eyes on the television screen, as did everyone else in the room.

Ian won easily, bringing the Demolition Boys up to five, equal with the White Tigers.

"It all hinges on Rei now," Max said unnecessarily.

Tala approached Kai with a worried glance. "Are you scared Kai?" he whispered, standing next to him.

"Will you think less of me if I said yes?"

"I'd think less of you if you lied and said no."

"In that case yes. I hope he's strong enough."

Tala clapped him on the shoulder comfortingly. "He is. Trust in him Kai, that's what's making him strong, your faith." Tala smiled reassuringly one last time before leaving.

_My faith,_ Kai thought as he watched the figure of his boyfriend walk towards the dish to face off against Mariah. _I do have faith in you Rei, I always have. I know you can do this._

***

Rei breathed in deeply and exhaled in an effort to calm himself.

It wasn't working.

_I wish Kai was here beside me,_ he thought looking over at Mariah. He stiffened slightly at the look in here eyes. _No, I have to be stronger than this. My team is counting on me to win this, I can't let them down. Who knows, this may very be the deciding battle._

"Bladers get ready." Rei placed Drigger in his launcher and focused solely on the dish and his blade. "3-2-1. Let it Rip!"

They launched. Rei grinned knowing his launch was perfect, but so was Mariah's. The two blades circled each other seeking out any weaknesses in their motions.

"Galix!" Rei started from his concentration with the sound of Mariah's voice. "Attack!"

"Drigger, evasion." _Come one, chase me, I know you want to._ Rei smirked as Galix followed Drigger around the dish. _Perfect._ Galix was swiftly catching up to Drigger and Mariah smirked at him.

"Ready to give up to me yet Rei?"

Rei paled at the choice of words but focused his attention on the battle. He didn't want to lose it now. _Just a little closer … now!_ "Drigger!"

The tiger blade swung around as Mariah came in striking distance and completely switched directions coming around the dish again so quickly that Mariah couldn't evade his blade.

"Damn. Galix! Attack!"

The two blades clashed, but Drigger spun off at a slightly different angle, as he had in training. Rei grinned as Galix began to wobble.

"What?" Mariah gasped. "Galix, recover, hurry."

"Sorry Mariah, but this match is mine. Drigger!" The blade moved in again and struck at Galix again, sending Mariah's blade crashing into the side of the dish and causing it to stop spinning.

There was a huge silence everywhere as the match concluded.

In the change rooms Kai was staring at the screen in amazement. He grinned suddenly and whooped, startling everyone. "He won!" Kai laughed and ran out into the main stadium as the crowd erupted with cheering.

Rei was standing by the dish, shocked. He couldn't comprehend exactly what happened even though he knew he'd just won.

"I won," he whispered and finally started taking notice of what Jazzman was saying.

"And with that narrow win by Rei, the Bladebreakers take the title."

He jumped up and yelled excitedly.

"Rei." The neko-jin turned to see Kai standing at the entrance to the change rooms.

"Kai! I won!" Rei ran to him and Kai hurried to his side and lifted him up in a huge embrace.

"I know. I knew you could do it." And with that, Kai kissed him passionately, holding him close. Rei wrapped his arms around Kai and kissed him back, his elation and excitement transmitted in the deep touch.

Kai broke away suddenly, his eyes widening. "What are we doing? There are cameras everywhere!"

Rei grinned. "You forgot about that? I guess that shows how much you love me then."

Kai blushed and looked away, letting Rei go. "Yeah, I guess."

Rei found the sight absolutely adorable and he leaned up to place a soft lingering kiss on Kai's lips. "We can do this later," he whispered as everyone else ran out excitedly to congratulate Rei.

***

It wasn't until much later, well into and close to the end of the celebrations that anyone noticed anything wrong.

Lee was gathering his team about to leave when he once again noticed a team member missing. "Emily," he asked the girl as she passed. "Do you know where Mariah is?"

Emily shrugged. "She said she wasn't feeling very well and wanted to go back to the hotel. I assume that's where she is now."

"How long ago was that?"

"A while ago, just before the Bladrebreakers left I think."

Lee nodded and smiled at her. "Thanks Emily. See you guys later."

"Bye," she waved and joined some of the other people still at the party.

"You look worried," Michael commented as he came up to say goodbye to Lee. "Something wrong?"

"Mariah's nowhere to be found, but Emily said she left a while ago."

Michael shrugged. "I'm sure she's fine, she's probably a bit cut up about losing that last battle."

"I guess." But something felt off to Lee. He shook the feeling away and smiled at Michael. "I'll see you soon."

"You'd better." Michael bent down and captured him in a deep kiss. "See you."

"Bye." Lee gestured to Gary and Kevin and the White Tigers left the huge hall that had been lent for the night, not realising the real cause behind Mariah's disappearance.

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AN: *evil laugh* Now, I wonder where Mariah could be? You won't want to miss the next installment, else you won't find out. We're reaching the climax here, soon this will all be over. But for now you have to wait.

Laters.


	15. Three is a Dangerous Number

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Okay, I am so sorry for the delay in this chapter. Please forgive me! *offers roses and chocolates as consolation* Also … I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Not only have I breached the 200 mark (my first fic to do so) but also in the last four chapters alone, I got 111 reviews! Seriously, you guys are the greatest. I'm really, REALLY, sorry for the delay then, and I promise to make it up to you in the next chapter with something citrusy. *big grin* 

But you have no idea how hard it was to write this chapter, I was literally sitting here going "No! I can't, I can't do this! You can't make me! NO!!!" Of course you'll have to read to find out why I was distressed enough in this chapter to cry while writing it. 

(enough suspense for you? ;D)

Anyways, hope you enjoy chapter fourteen.

****

Three is a Dangerous Number

"Damn!"

Kai raced out of the bathroom at Rei's yell to see the raven-haired boy glaring at the window. He looked over at Kai, his glare softening somewhat. "I forgot to tell everyone about …"

Kai nodded. It's okay. Maybe we should do it all in private anyway."

Rei grinned. "We? You're going to be there with me?"

"Of course, just because you're feeling a bit more chipper about all this, doesn't mean I'll leave you on your own to tell everyone." Kai grabbed Rei in a tight embrace. "What kind of boyfriend would I be then?"

Rei smiled and kissed him gently. "Not one I'd like to have. I like you just the way you are, so stay that way."

"Of course." The two leaned in for a long kiss, but were distracted by a loud insistent knocking on the hotel room door.

Kai growled and released Rei, knowing that the other three were already in bed, Tyson was probably already asleep. Kenny opened the door to their room and rubbed his eyes blearily, looking over at Kai questioningly.

"Go back to bed Kenny, I'll get this." Kenny nodded and closed the door again, yawning widely.

Kai unlocked then opened the door immediately, glaring darkly at whomever was knocking at this time of night.

It wasn't the hotel staff.

It wasn't a messenger from Mr. Dickinson.

It wasn't an emergency of any kind.

So Kai growled ferally at the reporters lining the hallway of the hotel at midnight after the huge match.

"Get lost," he said before they could ask any questions. He tried to slam the door in their faces, but a reporter stuck their foot in and shoved a microphone in his face.

"Mr. Hiwatari, please, one question. Is what happened at the match today between yourself and Mr. Kon just a one-off spur of the moment thing?"

Another joined the first as Kai looked at them in shock. "What about the others? Are there any more insidious relationships going on in the team?"

"Did you all not hear me the first time? Go away! It's midnight and my team and I need to sleep."

This caused the huge mass of reporters to surge forwards and start to shout out their various questions. People started looking out in annoyance from their own suites and glared as they saw Kai fending off the reporters. He glared right back then turned to the reporters.

"Look, to schedule a conference you have to go through certain channels and ask for an appropriate time and location. If you persist with this harassment, I will have to call authorities."

A few of the reporters talked this over between themselves, the smarter ones that were rather nervous of Kai, but still many more continued to bombard him with questions.

"What the hell is going on?" Kai looked over his shoulder to see Kenny, Max and Tyson standing behind him, the latter yawning and glaring darkly. Kai looked back at the reporters and growled.

"All right, that's it. Kenny, call Mr. Dickinson right now."

Kenny nodded and moved away. Many of the reporters didn't seem to have heard exactly what he said. In fact, some were reaching into the room and throwing questions at Tyson and Max as well. Max stared at them wide eyed and shrunk back, hiding behind Kai. Tyson was blinking slowly, trying to wake himself up then, in a disturbing imitation of Kai, he too growled at the reporters asking if he and Max were in a similar relationship to Rei and Kai.

"They're asking about that?" Tyson asked incredulously. "That's none of their business."

Kai shrugged. "I glared at them and it didn't work."

Tyson gaped. "Your glare had no effect? Wow, they must be really worked up about that kiss."

Kai groaned, running his hands frustratedly through his hair.

Suddenly the reporters surged forward again at the sight of the last Bladebreaker appearing.

Rei looked around curiously, though the slight glint in his eyes told the others he was as annoyed as they were. "I see now what all the noise was and the delay." Kai nodded, still trying to close the door on the reporters. "So what do they want?"

"What do you think?" Kai asked sarcastically.

Rei grinned. "Let me handle this, I have a perfect plan."

"Oh no," Kai groaned. Most of Rei's ideas these days had to do with humiliation concerning him in some way. "Please make is as painless as possible."

Rei grinned. "Oh, I'm sure it will be quite the opposite." He approached the door, clearing his throat and stepping forward. "Excuse me, but you interrupted something very important I was in the middle of."

The reporters ignored him and bombarded him with more questions, which Rei ignored and finally he held up his hand and yelled, very loudly.

"Shut up!" The reporters did so, rather shocked that _Rei_, the supposed calm one on the Bladebreakers could loose his temper. "Fine, listen carefully." Rei grabbed Kai by the front of his shirt. "Kai." He released his confused boyfriend and pointed to himself. "Me." Without warning, he jumped at Kai and furiously attacked his mouth with his own, to which Kai responded very eagerly, kissing back with as much force and passion.

They could tell by the sudden silence from the obnoxious reporters and the intakes of breath and stifled giggles from Tyson and Max that their desired effect had been reached. Kai broke off, staring wantonly at Rei. Rei returned the look before turning to the reporters.

"Questions answered. Now, if you don't mind, Kai and I have other things to attend to." Rei closed the door on them, the reporters too stunned to move. He turned to Kai and grinned. "There, that was easy."

"You do realise that's going o be in all the papers and television reports tomorrow," Max told them with a giggle.

"I know." Rei grinned. "But at least they're gone now. Kai, be a dear and make sure they stay away, I've got to go have a shower." He yawned slightly and licked his lips, leering at Kai. "Don't be too long now."

Kai stared after him until the door closed. The other three in he room looked stunned at this and stared at Kai, who was blushing slightly. He glared at them. "What the hell are you looking at? You should be getting some sleep, unless you want extra training tomorrow."

"Like you'll be getting any sleep tonight," Tyson murmured as he passed, sending a grin in Kai's direction. Max blushed and giggled more as he ran into their room, while Kenny just shook his head muttering, "It's too late to be thinking about that sort of thing."

Kai waited until everyone had left before opening the door cautiously. He sighed in relief seeing the reporters had mostly gone. There were a few left who called out to him, but he made his way to the elevator and waited, arms folded across his chest, his stony expression in place. His mind was not occupied with the frightful things the reporters thought though. Quite the opposite in fact.

_Okay, I'll have a talk with the manager and make sure that we are not to be disturbed, then I make sure that all the doors are locked securely, then I can be with Rei._

He got into the elevator, stepping out of the way of another person, not really taking any notice of them, his thoughts completely occupied with Rei. He pressed the button and went to the lobby, calling for the manager. There were still a few reporters here also, but Kai walked right past them and went straight to the front desk. After talking with the manager, he walked back to the elevators and waited, any reporters who approached him were taken away by security, much to his delight.

Once again the doors opened and he went back to his room. Another of the reporters tried to talk to him again, but Kai pushed him away and opened the door to the team's suite, locking the door behind him.

He could hear the sound of the shower running and he grinned. He made sure that the doors and windows were locked and checked up on the other three, who were starting to drift back off to sleep and went into his own room, accidentally leaving the door open slightly. He grinned seeing the clothes left on the bed. He stripped off his shirt and pants after taking off his gloves and scarf.

"Rei?" He smiled, opening the door to the bathroom then gasped. "Rei!" He ran over quickly to the other boy lying in a puddle of blood, eyes closed. "No, you didn't please no," Kai sobbed, looking for where Rei was bleeding from.

His wrists were scarred from the previous attempt, but untouched now. Kai breathed heavily and frowned slightly then looked at his hand holding Rei's hair, feeling a wetness.

"What ...?" He looked down and Rei groaned.

"Kai ... her."

"What?" Kai quickly spun around in time to see a flash of metal just before there was a sharp pain in his shoulder. He cried out as the dagger was pulled out of his arm and he grabbed at it, the crimson liquid dripping between his fingers in gushes. Kai looked up through his haze of pain.

Mariah stood grinning down at them, a bloody knife in hand. The same knife she threatened Rei with before.

"You," Kai gasped then flinched as he moved slightly. More blood continued to gush from his deep wound. He was starting to loose all feeling in his arm. "Why?"

"You can't have him, Rei's mine."

"Bitch," Kai spat, maneuvering himself so he was in front of the dazed Rei still lying on the floor. He cried out suddenly in pain again and took his eyes off Mariah for an instant.

That's when she struck again. Her dagger flashed silver again before it turned red once it emerged from Kai's torso. Kai gasped again, blood pouring from his mouth. He clutched his still movable hand to his abdomen.

"Damn, I missed," Mariah muttered.

"Mariah, please, no." Rei was crying, holding out a hand to her pleadingly. He struggled to sit up and move over to his beloved. "Please, don't."

Mariah glared at him. "I have to Rei. He's keeping you from me."

"I don't love you!"

Mariah's eyes flashed dangerously. "You do! You have to! Now I'll take this horrid complication out of your life so we can finally be together as we were meant to." She raised the dagger again.

Rei panicked. "No! Kai! Stop!"

Mariah grinned evilly. "Too late." As if in slow motion, the dagger started to descend, then suddenly the door burst open and Max, Kenny and Tyson stood in the doorway.

Their eyes widened seeing the scene. Kai bloody and close to unconscious on the floor before an injured and hysterical Rei with Mariah grinning evilly down at them a bloody dagger in her hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had been going on.

"Stop!" Tyson and Max both went after Mariah, tackling her to the ground, the dagger slipping out of her grasp and sliding to the wall. Kenny ran immediately to the two injured boys, checking Kai as soon as he saw that Rei was still conscious.

"He's lost a lot of blood and he's still loosing it," Kenny panicked slightly.

"Some's mine. I have a head gash," Rei informed him. "But we have to stop the bleeding!" 

Max and Tyson were still occupied by Mariah who was hissing and squirming underneath them. She yelled and cursed them, trying to punch and scratch at them. They couldn't let her go lest she try for the dagger again and continue with her plans.

Kenny ran to the bedroom and grabbed the sheets from the bed. He ripped off a strip and shoved it up against Kai's stomach wound. "We have to apply pressure. Can you keep a hold of that Rei?" Rei nodded and placed his hands over Kai's wound, the blood soaking through the white sheets almost immediately.

"Oh gods," Rei moaned, tears streaming down his cheeks. He was still weak and his hands shook. "Kenny, call someone."

"Right." Kenny ran to the front room and started dialing the manager to get the ambulance and police. He ran back and quickly ripped off another strip of the bedsheet and placed it atop the first that Rei was holding. "You're doing a great job Rei, they're on their way, just hold on." Kenny encouraged the distraught and possibly concussed boy as he tended to Kai's less serious, though still deep shoulder wound.

Tyson and Max had managed to get Mariah to stop struggling, though she still tried futilely.

"Kenny," Rei's voce was small and hesitant. "Aren't stomach wounds fatal?"

"I don't know. We have to have faith in Kai."

Rei nodded, still shaking slightly, but he kept a constant pressure on the wound, the thought that this was all for Kai running through his head and keeping him awake and focused.

Finally they could hear the sounds of sirens. Kenny grinned, relieved and ran to open the locked front door when they stopped outside the building. "In here," he called out seeing the emergency officers coming out of the elevator. They ran in after the boy and quickly ran to where Rei and Kai were situated on the bathroom floor.

"Here son, we'll take it from here," one woman smiled reassuringly at him, placing her own hands over the wound.

Rei nodded. "Kenny said to put pressure on it. Kenny knows what to do."

"Of course. It was very brave of you to help him like this. You may have saved his life."

Rei smiled and nodded, moving away slightly as more people came into the room, all helping Kai. One came over to him but he refused to let the emergency person help him until he was sure they'd seen to Kai.

Policemen entered and Kenny pointed over to where Tyson and Max lay on top of the struggling Mariah. "Where's the weapon?" one asked and Max pointed to the dagger lying on the floor against one wall.

"When we tackled her it flew over there," he told them.

"What exactly happened?"

By this time, the ambulance officers had Kai stabilized and on a stretcher ready to take out. Rei was having his head looked at, but when he saw they were taking Kai away, he panicked.

"No! I have to stay with him!"

"You can ride with him in the ambulance, that way we can have a good look at you too." The first emergency officer smiled at him and Rei nodded, reassure that Kai wasn't going anywhere without him.

The policeman looked back at Max and Tyson as they got off Mariah, who was apprehended by two more policemen and taken out of the room, hissing and snarling, trying to escape and get back to Kai to finish the job, with her nails if need be.

Tyson looked away, shuddering slightly. "We don't know everything. When we came in, Mariah was standing over Rei and Kai with a bloody knife. I just acted, I guess Max did too, and we tackle her to the ground."

The policeman nodded. "What made you come into the room in the firs place, did you hear noises of the struggle?"

Max blushed slightly. "Actually, we could hear a few things, but we didn't go in. We thought Rei and Kai were ..." He trailed off and blushed slightly.

Tyson blushed too then looked at the officer. "They were involved," he said simply.

The officer nodded, writing it down. "So you thought they were all right?"

Max nodded. "Until Rei yelled out something, I think it was 'I don't love you'. We thought he and Kai were fighting and thought it might be best if we intervened. Then we heard another scream from Rei and ran in. We didn't expect Mariah to be there."

The officer nodded again. "Thank you. Ill need a statement from your other teammates, though I'll have to visit Mr. Hiwatari and Mr. Kon in the hospital at another time."

Max and Tyson nodded and the officer moved away to talk to Kenny. They looked at each other and sighed.

"This has been a tough night," Max said.

"Yeah. I never would have though it."

Max hesitated before looking at Tyson worriedly and asking. "Do you think Kai will be all right?"

"I don't know Maxie, but I hope so."

***

Rei sat huddled up in one of the hard plastic chairs in Kai's room.

He'd refused to be parted from the boy, except for when he went in for surgery. Since he came back, Rei hadn't left the unconscious boy's bedside. It was visiting hours now, but seeing as Rei was a patient, they'd let him stay in the same room, since whenever someone tried to move him, he went hysterical.

A tear slipped down his cheek and Rei buried his face in his arms and hugged his knees tighter to his chest.

"Kai," he whispered brokenly.

There was a knock at the door and Rei looked up to see Lee and Michael standing there. His old friend took one look at the distraught boy and ran to him, capturing him in a huge embrace. Rei broke down completely, hanging onto Lee as though he was his only link to safety.

"Gods Rei, I'm so sorry. I should have known."

"No, I should have told you." Rei sniffed, calming slightly. "I was going to at the celebrations, but I forgot, I was just so happy and enjoying myself too much."

Lee released him and looked at him closely. "How long had it gone on?"

"A while. Mariah came to me one time when I was still injured and took advantage of me." Lee hissed, his eyes wide. "I should have told you. I almost tried to kill myself from the shame, but Kai stopped me. I lied when I said I accidentally cut myself with a razor."

Lee started to cry then, tears of distress running down his cheeks. "Oh Rei." He grabbed the boy in another hug. "Please don't ever do that, don't keep something like that from me."

"I won't. Just please don't leave yet. I can't be alone."

Lee nodded and Michael moved into the room. "Don't worry," the American boy assured him with a gentle smile. "We'll stay with you for as long as you need."

Rei smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"Do you want something to eat? Chocolate maybe?"

Rei grinned and nodded. "Thanks Michael." The redhead nodded and went out of the room, knowing that the two neko-jins would need some time alone.

Lee sighed and sat down beside Rei, keeping his hand on the younger boy's arm, stroking him lightly, gently, reassuring him that there was someone here with him. Rei smiled contentedly and leaned his head on Lee's shoulder, slowly drifting to a light sleep.

Michael entered the room again and sighed sadly seeing the distress on his lover's face. He placed the chocolate on the table and sat down beside Lee, taking his hand in his own. Lee smiled at him and continued to stroke Rei's hair gently, feeling tears drip from Rei's eyes onto his skin as he slept.

***

Tyson sighed as he left the room.

The three of them had stayed for as long as they could, but visiting hours were over and they had to leave Rei and Kai alone.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Max asked, looking close to crying.

Tyson wrapped an arm around the blond boy's shoulder and smile reassuringly. "Of course, this is Rei and Kai we're talking about here. Rei's already doing fine and Kai should wake up any time now."

"I hope you're right," Max whispered.

Kenny was silent then he looked over at the two others with him and informed them, "Mr. Dickinson has organised a meeting for all the teams to explain what happened. Apparently there has been a lot going on that we don't know about."

"Yeah," Tyson looked contemplative. "Rei was acting a bit odd. He's not one to be so clingy, even with Kai and him being together like that."

Kenny nodded. "Well, anyone who can make it is to be there, so we should be on our way."

The three of them took one last look back at the closed door hiding the other two injured members of their team then made their way out of the hospital to meet with the other four top teams in beyblading.

***

Rei crawled up onto Kai's bed once the nurse had finished, knowing that he could stay there until another nurse came to check up on them at midnight.

He touched the soft pale cheeks of his love and listened to his slow shallow breathing. A tear rolled down his cheek and fell upon Kai's face, making the boy stir slightly then settle down again.

Rei continued to stare at the beautiful face of his sleeping beloved.

"I'm sorry Kai," he whispered in a choked voice. "It shouldn't have happened like this. I wish I'd been stronger for you. I promised I would be strong, but I failed and you're hurt." Rei sobbed, the tears clouding his vision and he blinked rapidly to clear his view of Kai's face. "I never wanted to hurt you, I just wanted to love you."

"Rei ..." Rei looked down in astonishment to see Kai's eye slowly open, revealing thin slivers of scarlet. "You are strong," he breathed. "You kept your promise."

"Oh Kai," Rei clung to him and sobbed. "I'm so sorry, I don't want you to be hurt."

"It's a risk I was willing to take to be with you." Kai smiled up at him and lifted his hand to Rei's face, wincing slightly with the strain. "I love you, I always will."

"Kai." Rei smiled gently and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his beloved phoenix's lips. Everything would be all right for them, they would just have to be strong for each other.

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AN: *sobs* this fic will unfortunately be coming to an end in the next chapter. *sound of lots of crying* See? Now you know why I was so sad! This was so hard to write because I don't want to let it go. You can't take this away from me, it's can't be finished! No! *more sobs*

Okay, I'm done, enough theatrics. The last chapter (the epilogue) should be out soon, unless I get another case of separation anxiety.

Until then, Laters.


	16. Epilogue

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Hey, again, sorry for the delay with this final chapter of 'The way things happen'. I'll let you all read the chapter first then I'll blab on a nit more. So, I hope you enjoy.

****

Epilogue

"Here we are back home again." Kai heaved a sigh of relief as he came through the door to his huge mansion back in Japan. His grandfather had gone into hiding with Boris and hadn't been back since. In fact, if he came back, the police would be on him in an instant. Recalling this and thinking on his freedom, Kai smiled serenely and dumped his bags near the entrance.

Smiling he turned to Rei. "I'm so glad we're finally away from that hotel. It was nice enough, but everyone knew where we were. Besides, it's always good to get home."

"I guess." Rei looked a bit hesitant as he slowly entered the alcove leading into the main hallway.

Kai frowned slightly then smiled. "Rei, I told you: Consider this your home too. You don't have to be nervous."

"I know, it's just ..." Rei trailed off thinking things through as he glanced around at the opulence he saw everywhere around him. "Overwhelming," he finally admitted.

Kai stepped towards him and took him in his arms. "Like being with you for the first time was for me." Kai kissed Rei deeply, hoping to ease his nerves slightly. He broke off and smiled at the pouting neko-jin. "Come on, I'll show you around." 

Rei nodded then grinned slyly. "So which is my room?"

Kai grinned back. "Mine of course."

"Good. Do you have an ensuite?" Kai just looked at him sceptically and Rei blushed. "Silly question."

"Yes, indeed it was." Kai laughed and pulled Rei closer to him, taking him on a long tour around his new home.

By the time they reached the last room, their bedroom, Kai was starting to feel pains in his stomach. Rei looked over in concern and, without a word, went over to his beloved and helped him to stand and walk straight. Kai smiled gratefully at him.

"So this is our room?"

"Yes, it is." Kai smiled at the look of wonder and delight on Rei's features. he room was very nice, elegant and slightly dark, but intriguing and curious as well. Kai grinned as Rei started poking about the room, into the darkwood furniture and the paneled mahogany walls. Finally he stopped just before the wide four-poster bed.

Rei grinned mischievously. "So, what did you have planned for tonight?"

"A quiet night in. The servants aren't expected to be here until tomorrow." Rei grinned and Kai knew exactly what he was thinking. "It's a good thing that we ate a large meal before coming here."

"Yes. it gives us more time for ... rest and relaxation."

Kai smiled at him innocently. "Yes, I am rather tired. A good night's rest will do me wonders."

Rei pouted. "Kai, you're not serious?" He lay down on the bed, looking sulky and very desirable as he twined his hair though his fingers. "I was thinking we have some fun first."

Kai shrugged. "Perhaps later. I think we both are in dire need of a shower first. I know my wounds are aching." Kai smiled at him. "Perhaps you might be able to help me out in the bathroom."

Rei grinned. "Love to." He got up and walked over to the door with Kai. He gasped as he opened it.

"What would you like to do Rei?" Kai asked, sidling up to him and placing his arms about his waist.

"The Jacuzzi," Rei answered without hesitation.

Kai laughed at his enthusiasm. "Jacuzzi it is then." He walked over to the large tub and began filling it, the jets turning on automatically. Rei grinned and walked over to him, staring in amazement at the huge bathroom.

"I don't think I've ever seen such wealth."

"Well, this is _my_ room," Kai answered with a smirk.

"Ours, didn't you say?"

"Indeed." Kai kissed Rei deeply. Everything of mine is yours."

"Even your most private personal possessions?" Rei asked with a sly look.

"They were yours a long time ago," Kai breathed.

"Good." Rei returned the kiss, drawing it out languorously, slowly stripping Kai of his clothing. Kai was doing the same to him. Finally both of them stood completely naked, totally engrossed in each other.

Kai broke off with a soft smile. Suddenly he yelped in surprise as Rei lifted him up and placed him in the water. 

"Rei!" he called out indignantly.

Rei got in and straddled him with a smirk. "You're injured," he said in justification.

Kai pouted cutely. "Don't get used to doing things like that. I'll get strong again. A wound like this won't keep me down forever."

"I hope not," Rei smirked and settled down properly on Kai's lap, leaning in close to Kai, planting kisses down his neck, delighting in how Kai shivered in pleasure beneath him. The warm water was making them both feel a bit drowsy and Rei decided to just relax and nip lightly at Kai's neck.

They stayed like that for a while, light lingering touches the only interaction between the two as they soaked up the soothing atmosphere. That is, until Kai finally noticed how long they'd been in there.

"Rei," he murmured lazily.

Rei looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"We should get out now."

"Probably. It wouldn't be good to fall asleep here." Rolling his eyes and groaning slightly in annoyance, Rei got up and out of the Jacuzzi. Kai stood up and frowned as Re tried to pick him up again.

"Just trying to help," Rei protested before he picked up a towel and dried himself off.

"I know, but I'm not a complete invalid." Kai grabbed another towel and rubbed carefully around his wound, wincing slightly. "Though I do hurt like hell," he admitted with a grin. Rei laughed at him.

Finally getting back to the bedroom Kai laid down with a sigh and Rei sat beside him.

"Something on your mind?" Kai asked after a long silence.

"Yeah."

"Are you still thinking about what happened?"

Rei nodded. "Everyone just seemed so stunned. I'm not sure if I'll be able to even look them in the eye again. Even Tyson, Max and Kenny. Kai, do you think they're disgusted with me?"

Kai sat up and grabbed Rei in a tight embrace. "Never. You heard how supportive they were."

"But what if it was all an act?" Rei looked flustered. "What if they really hate me? I don't think I could handle that."

Kai tried to calm the rambling boy. "Rei, no one could hate you."

"You don't know that! Who knows what they're thinking. They could —" Rei was cut off as Kai shut him up by kissing him deeply.

Breaking off, Kai looked directly at him. "They don't hate you, no once could possibly hate you and even if they did, why should it matter? You'll always have me by your side. I'll never leave."

"Kai." Rei smiled at him and kissed him back, just as passionately as his meaningful words were spoken. 

"I love you Rei," Kai said, smiling softly as he pulled away. "Never doubt that and I swear you won't have to ever face anything alone."

Rei smiled. "Thank you. I love you to Kai."

They laid down together on the bed, wrapped in each other's comforting arms, taking strength and love from the simple contact. The new home, new situation, they would always be there, together, to face everything.

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AN: The end! I don't know whether I should laugh or cry. I think I'll do both.

First of all, I know I promised a citrus, but I thought it might detract from the ending and I know it's short, but it's just a neat little wrapping up of the fic.

Second, I want to thank every single person who reviewed this fic, or even just read it. I really do appreciate that you took the time to do so and I'm so glad that so many of you enjoyed it. 

Third, Don't worry, for those who are wondering, there is a sequel in the works. It's mostly a Bryan/Tala fic, but with huge dollops of Rei/Kai in there as well. I know some things were left unsaid, but they will be addressed in the next fic. It's called 'Cause and Consequence' so watch out for it.

Well, that's all from me I suppose. Once again thank you all so much *showers petals over reviewers* and right now I am rather tired so I shall bid you all good day and farewell.


End file.
